THE PRE'dh, DDDLIBDED DAILY, (131111DAYEI EXCJEPTED.) BY JOHN W. FORIWEY. orrtcn kip, 417 GIIESTNUT BTREET. THE DAILY PRESS, T WELTS CENTS PER WRRIL, payable to the Carrier. Mailed to Brdneribers out of the City at Six DOLLARS PER ANNORI, POUR DOLLARS FOR EIGHT hIONTIIS t TRASH DOLLARS FOR SIX MONTHS-11EV&IiRbil ill advance for the time ordered, THE TRI-WEEKLY PRESS, Dialled to Subscribers out of the City at THREE DOL- L ssa PER lowish in advance. Cip Vrtss. MONDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1861. THE REBELLION. THE TRENT AFFAIR ITS SETTLEMENT. OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN SE CIWIAIVT 0/WARD AND LARD LIONDs MASON AND SLIDELL TO BE GIVEN UP. TEE CABINET A UNIT ON TEE SUBJECT. FRENCH OFFICIAL VIEW OF THE AFFAIR. NOW THE NEWS IS RECEIVED. MISCELLANEOUS WAR NEWS. THE ARRIVAL OF CONGRESSMAN ELY IN WASH:I3IEION. lIIS ACCOUNT OF HIS CAPTIVITY LATE NEWS FROM THE SOUTH. -THE WAR IN MISSOURI. &e., &e. HE MASON AND SLIDELL AFFAIR. IMPORTANT OFEICIIL CORRES- PONDE NC E MB. SEACAIit , To am AD.tart,--EXTBACT, DEPARTMENT OP STATE, WA.SRINGTON, November 30, 1551. CHARLES FRANCIS ADAMS. Esq , &a , &e., /ea. Stu ± Veur Goaderd49.l 210t0 of the 15th of No vember. not marked as a despatch, has been sub mitted to the President, and I hasten to reply to it n time for the Wednesday's mail. . . No minister ever spoke or acted more wisely in a crisis which excited deep public solicitude than you did on the occasion of the Lord Mayor's din ner. We are impressed very favorably by Lord Palmerston's Conversation with you_ You titiAte the simple fact when you told him that the life of this insurrection is sustained by its hopes of recog nition in Great Britain and in France. It would perish in ninety days if those hopes should eons. I have never for a moment believed that such a re cognition could take place without producing im mediately a war between the United States and all the reoegnizing Powers. I have not supposed it possible that the British Government could fail to see this: and at the same time I have sincerely believed the British Government meat, in its in most heart, be es averse from such a war as I know this Government is. I am sure that this Government has carefully avoided giving any cause of offence or irritation to Great Britain. But it has seemed to Ma that the British Government has been inattentive to the cur rents that seemed to be bringing the two countries into collision. k tt it It' IV I infer from Lord Palmerston's remark that the British Government is now awake to the importance of averting possible conflict. And disposed to confer and act with earnestness to that end. If so, we ace disposed to meet them in the same spirit, as a na tion chiefly of British lineage, tomtiments, and sym pathies—a civilized and humane nation, a Christian Teeple. Since that conversation was held, Captain Wilkes, in the steamer 'San Jacinto, has koarded a British -colonial steamer, and taken from her deck two in, aurgenta. who were proceeding to Bumps on an er tend of treason against their own country. This is a new incident, unknown to and unforeseen, at least in its circumstances. by Lord Palmerston. It is to he met and disposed of by the two Govern ments, if possible, in the spirit to which I have al -verted. Lord Lyons has prudently refrained from opening the subject to rue. 9.!k t pregame welting instructions from home. We have done nothing on the subject to anticipate the discussion, and we have not famished you with fine explanations_ We adhere to that course now. because we think it more prudent that the ground taken by the British Government should be first male known to us here; and that the discussion, if there must be one, shall be bad here, It is proper, however, that you -should know one fact in the case without indicating that we attach importance to it, namely, that, in the capture of Messrs. Meant' and Slidell on board a British vessel, Captain Wilkeelsaoing acted with out any instruot'ons from the Government, the subject is, therefore, free from the embarrassment -which might have resulted if the act had been spa- Cially directed by us. I trust that the British Government will consider the subject in a friendly temper, and it may ex pect the best disposition on the part of this Go vernment. Although this is a confidential note, I shall not -object to your reading it to Earl Russell and Lord Pain:et-04n, if yea deem tt ekto6aleht. I am, sir, your obedient, servant, WILLIAM H. SEWARD. EARL RU6SELG TO LORD LYONS. FOREIGN OFFICE, November 30,1301. TILE Loon LroNs, K. C. 8., &T.. &c. NV LORD : Intelligence of a very grave nature - has reached her Majesty's tiovernment. This intelligence was conveyed officially to the knowledge of the Admiralty by Commander Wit agent for mails on boardthe eontrsotsteamer • Trrri It appears, from the letter of Commander Wil liams, dated "Royal Mail Contract Packet Trent, at sea, November 0," iha , the Trent left Havana on the 7th instant, with Her Kljesty's mails for England, having on board numerous passengers. Commander Williams slates that shortly after noon -on the ilth, a steamer, having the appearance of a man-of-war, but nor showin,s , colors, was observed • ahead. On nearing her at Ll 6 P. M,, She fired a round shot, front her pivot gun, across the bows of the Trent, and showed American colors. While the Trent was approaching her slowly, the Ameri -can ream' illeeharged a shell across the hem of the Trent. exploding half a cable's length ahead of her. The Tina then stopped and an officer. with a large :armed guard of marines, boarded her_ The officer de• mended a list of the passengers ; and compliance with this demand being refused, the officer said he had or ders to arrest Messrs_ Mason_ Slidell, McFarlane, and Eustis, and that he had sure information of their being passengers in the Trent. While some parley was going on upon this matter, Mr. Slidell -stepped forward and told the American officer that the four persons he had named were then standing before him. The commander of the Trent and -Commander Williams protested against the act of taking by force out of the Trent these four passen gers. then under the protection of the flag. But the San Jacinto was at that time only two hummed yards from the Trent, her ship's company at quarters, her ports open, and tompions out. Resistance was therefore out of the question, and the four gentleman before named were forcibly taken out of the ship. A further demand was made that the commandtr of the Trent should proceed on board the San Jacinto. bat In said he would not go unless forcibly compelled likewise, and this demand was not insisted upon. It thus appears that certain- individuals have been forcibly taken from en board A British vassal, the ship of a neutral Power, while such vessel was pursuing a lawful and innocent voyage—aa act of violence which was an affront to the British flag and a -violation of international law. Her Majesty's Government, bearing in mind the friendly relations which have long sulmisted be tween (heat Britain and the United Suttee, are wit- ling to believe that the United States naval officer who committed the aggression was not acting in nomplianee with any Authority from his Geeerii ment, or that if he conceived himself to be so au thorized he greatly misunderstood the instructions which he bad received. For the Government of the United States must be fell , ' aware that the British Government could not allow such an affront to the national honor to pass without fall repara tion ; and her Majesty's Government are unwilling to believe that it could be the deliberate intention -of the Government of the United States unnecessa rily to force into discussion, between the two Go vernments, a question of so grave a character, and - with regard to which the whole Deitit 'maim would be sure to entertain such unanimity of feel ing, Her Majesty's Government, therefore, trust that when this matter shall have been brought under the consideration of the Government of she United -States, that Government will, of its own accord, offer to the British Government such redress as alone could satisfy the British nation—namely, the liberation of the four gentlemen and their de livery to your lordship, in order that they may again be placed under British protection, and a suitable apology for the aggression which has been committed. Should these terms not be offered by Mr. Seward ; you will propooo them to him You are at liberty to read this despatch to the .Secretary of State, and, if he shall desire it, you vriil give him a copy of it, I sin, RUSSELL. NU, 51GWARD TO LORD LYON& DEPARTMENT OF STATE, WASHINGTON, December 26, 1861. 711 E RIGHT HONORABLE LORD LYONS, Ain., ' My Loan : Earl Russell's despatch of November the Nth, a copy of which yen have left with me at thy request, is of the following effect. namely That a letter of Commander Williams, dated oyal Mail Contrite, Packet-boat Trent, at sea, No ember 9, states that the vessel left llity Oil the th of November, with her Majesty's mails for Eng and, having onboard numerous passengers. Shortly fter noon, on the Bth of November, the United I!Latea war steamer Ran Jacinto Coptslo Wilkes, ..ot showing colors, was observed ahead. That :Mauer. on being neared by the Trent, at ne oleleiek fifteen minute in the afterneets, red a round shot from a pivot gun across her .ows, and showed American colors. While the Twit se approaching slowly tuwurds the &it Tacinto she Deluged a shell across the Trent's bows, • hich exploded at half a cable's length before her. • , ks. l .%• o ‘itii / 1 '• .--- . • ' ' ....... ~.. 1-,.- . (..... ....."......--- ~....., - 17 . a -• - -- . ~.: (;- XI:X. - .-''--- ;%- l,' N.!:'' --" 7 'l-' ;/ ,;.:. ''.- ..• 'Pro t . 111 ' ~imm.r.,,,._,. ......... ..,..T_...: ,.... ... -:„.... 7: .,. 0 ,,..,...,...:, ~ , p ' • . r ,-- - -; ' : ....,..017 1 A ...Zl‘ . ,' .' ...=:- -:. -:- - 47,1' ,7 -7 , - - ...-J._,_il ".('..-- .:111 111 r .. ...i0r.';;; - . -.::; -- '` . •-, ...- " _±ll,lV.llx., _ ~. , i r r , _.._.. A ltv . ~.-, ~,- - 4 ;.; • . :. .i. , , , fl, :i ," ,miig . ••..l, -- ,.!,✓ i . , .---1,,,,-- ---, - -5 .,, , , •:...... _ 7 ",, - .- - :::!: .. . ._ • • :,. . ft - 7 . ' : _ , .7..... - ,.-7 . " . - . • •-14,, , , :4 1)\k: ,, ..-.. ~.I.'' Yel iii-- 'l. - : '.• '. '. .47: - , 'f . la ~..° A .- .. . ~....., '1 . . ; _ , t ,.. L ', Viii - 4, 1 :- ~ , ; 1 - 4 L' . 1!:. - - ------ '----- .•. , . ~..... _. . -.., , - ...........-0 icor., or ~.... ir ~.,..- ---. .•.7"- _ ___„ - _.. 4 , = : -- --- ----• - . -- ,7 -7.-- _ VOL. 5.-NO. 125. The Trent then stopped, and an officer with a large armed guard of marines boarded her. The officer said he had orders to arrest Messrs. Mime, Slidell, Idcrarlawid, and Luatia i and had sure Information that they were passengers in the Trent. While some parley was going on upon this matter, Mr. Slidell stepped forward and said to the American offieer that the four persona he had named were standing before him. The Commander of the Treat and Commander Williams protested against the act of taking those four passengers out of the Trent, they then being under the protection of the British flag. But the Sag Jaeinto was at this time only two hundred yards distant, her ship's company at quarters, her ports open and tompions out, and so resistance was out of the question. The four per sons before named were then forcibly taken out of the ship. A further demand was made that the commander of the Trent should proceed on board the San. Jacinto, hut he said he would not go un leas foreild ? oonnpelled nowise, and this demand was not insisted upon. Upon this statement Earl Russell remarks that it thus appears that certain individuals have been for cibly taken from on board a British Vdtael, theehir of a neutral Power, while that vessel was pursuing a lawful end innocent voyage, an act of violence which was an affront to the British flag and a viola tion of international law. Earl Itus.ell neat says that her Majesty's Go vernment, bearing in mind the friendly relations which have long s.nbsisted between Great Britain and the United States, are willing to believe that Ike navel eirmer vrhe committed this aggression was not acting in compliance with any authority from his Government, or that, if ho conceived him self to be so authorized, he greatly misunderstood the instructions which he hadraesivad. Earl Russell argues that the 'United States must be fully aware that the British Governi.eut could not allow such an affront to the national honor to pass without full repatatleo, eed they e.re willlno to believe that it could not be the deliberate inten tion of the Government of the United States un necessarily to force into discussion between the two Governments a question of so grave a ohmmeter, and with regard to which the whole British nation would be sure to entertain such unanimity of feeling. Earl Russell, resting upon the statement and the argument which I have thus recited cloaca with saying that her Majesty's Government trust that when this matter shall have been brought under the consideration of the Government of the United States, it will, of its own accord, tires to the. P.titicli Government such redress as alone could satiety the .British nation—namely, the liberation of the four prisoners taken from the Trent, and their delivery to your lordship. in order that they may again be placed under British protection, and a suitable apology for the aggression which has boon com mitted. Earl Russell finally instructs you to pro pose those terms to me, 3f I should not first offer them on the part of the Government. This despatch has been submitted to the Presi dent. The British Government has rightly conjectured, ttliat it is sot 6 my duty to state, that ear,. Wilkes, in conceiving and executing the proceeding in question, acted upon his own suggestions of duty without any direction or instruction, or even fore icirwlcdp of it on the part of this Gorornment, No directions had been given to him, or any other naval officer, to arrest the four persons named. or any of them, on the Trent, or on any other British vessel, or on any other neutral vessel, at the place where it occurred, or elsewhere. The Drtrish Go vernment 'will justly infer from these facts that the United States not only have had no purpose, but even no thought of forcing into discromon the question which has arisen, or any other which could affect in any way the sensibilities of the Bri tish nation. It is true that a round shot was fired by the San .TE2etnia from her pivot gun wh , n the Tre,t was distantly approaching. But, as the facts have been reported to this Government, the shot was neier tbeless intentionally fired in a direction so obviously divergent from the course of the Tiant as to be quite as harmless as a blank shot, while it should be regarded as a signal. So also wo learn that the Trent was not ap proaching across alt her slowly wh contrary, shell was fired her bows. but. on the the Trent was, or seemed to be, moving under a full head of steam, as if with a purpose to pass the San Jacinto. We are informed also that the boarding officer (Lieut. Fairfax) did not board the Trent with a large armed guard, but be left his marines in his boat when he entered the Trent. He stated his in structions from Capt. Wilkes to search for the f'our persona named, in a respectful and courteous though decided manner; and he asked the captain of the Treat to show his passenger list, which was refused. The lieutenant, as we are informed, did not employ absolute force in transferring the passengers, but he used just so much as was necessary to satisfy toe parties concerned that refusal or resistance would be unavailing. So, also, we are informed that the captain of the Trent was not at any time or in any way required to go on board the San Jacinto. Thee., modifications of the case as presented by AMR/tinder Williams ass Wed upon our official reports. I have now to remind your lordship of some facts which doubtlessly were omitted by Earl Rus sell, with the very proper and becoming motive of allowing them to be brought into the case, on the part of the United States, in the way most Bads factory to this Government. These facts are that, at the time the tratteeetion occurred, an inSarree tion was existing in the United States, which this Government was engaged in suppressing by the . Employment of land and naval fumes that in re: gard to this domestic strife the United &rates eon sidered Great Britain as a friendly Power, while she had assumed for herself the attitude of a neu tral ; and that Spain was considered in the same and bad mauled the MUM attitude as Great Britain. It had been settled by correspondence that the United States and Great Britain mutually re cognized as applicable to this local strife these two articles of the declaration made by the Congress of Paris in 1856—namely, that the neutral or friendly flag should cover enemy's goods not contraband of war, and that neutral goods not contraband of war are not liable to capture under an enemy's flag. These exceptions of contraband from favor were a negative acceptance by the parties of the rule hitherto every where pmagilipa as a t..rt of the law of nations, that whatever is contraband is liable to capture end confiscation in all eases. Janice M. Mom and E. J. Itiogerbied AVE ail zens of the United States and residents of Virginia. John Slidell and George Eustis are citizens of the United States and residents of Louisiana. It was WO known at Havana when these parties em• barked in the Trent that James M Mason was pro ceeding to England in the alrteted character of a Minister Plenipotentiary to the Court of St. James, under a pretended commission from Jefferson Davis, who bad assumed to be President of the in surrectionary party in the United States, and E J. McFarland was going with him in a like unreal character of Secretary of Legation to the pre tended mission. John Slidell, in similar circumstances. was going to Piltic at a pketehaed Ininisker to the Emperor of the French, and George Eustis was the chosen se cretary of legation for that simulated mission The feet that these persons bad assumed such shah meters bits been wince avowed by the same Jefforson Davis in a pretended message to an unlawful and iPBRITCOMITY COgtens It was, es we think, rightly presumed that these ministers bore pre• tended credentials and instructions, and such pa pers are, in the law, known as despatches. We are informed by our consul at Paris that these de spatches, having escaped the search of the Treat, were actually conveyed and delivered to emissaries of the insurrection in England. Although it is not essential, yet it is proper to state, as I do also upon information and belief, that the owner and agent, and all the offmere of the Trent, including the nom. wander, Williams, had knowledge of the assumed characters and purposes of the persona before UPlPti'd they embodied en that vessel. Tour lordship will now perceive that the case be fore us, instead of presenting a merely flagrant act of violence on the part of Captain Wilkes, as might *ell be Inferred from the incomplete statement et it that went up to the British Government, was un dertaken as a simple legal and customary bellige rent proceeding by Captain Wilkes to arrest and capture a neutral mad engaged in carrying con traband of war for the use and benefit of the insur gents. The question before us is, whether this proceed ing was authorized by and condueted according . to the law of nations. It involves the following in quirks Ist. Were the persons named and their supposed despatches contraband of war ? 2d. Might Captain Wilkes lawfully stop and =rah the TP1.311 for these ALY4F.t...ad per ns and despa tehes ? 3d. Did he exercise that right in a lawful and proper manner? 4th. Having found the contraband persons on board and in presumed possession of the contra band despatches, had he a right to capture the per seas ? sth. Did he exercise that right of capture in the manner allowed and recognized by the law of nations? If all these inquiries shall be resolved in the affirmative, the British Government will have no claim for reparation. I address myself to the first inquiry—namely, were the four percent mentioned, and their sups posed despatches, contraband Maritime law so generally deals, as its professors say, in rem, that is, with property, and so seldom persons diat it seems a Straining of the term contraband to apply it to them, But persons, as well as property, may become contraband, since the word means broadly "contrary to proglomiegi prohibited, illegal,. unlawful,'' All writers and judges pronounce naval or mili tary persons in the service of the enemy contra band. Vattel says war allows us to cut off from an enemy a.. —l6 resources, and to binder him from sending ministers to solicit assistance. And Sir William Scott says jou may Me) the ambassador of your enemy on his passage. Despatches are not less clearly contraband, arid the bearers or couriers who undertake to carry them fall under the same COUdenination. A subtlety might be raised whether pretended ministers of an usurping Power, not recognized as legal by either the belligerent or the neutral, Gould be held to be contraband. But it would disappear on being subjected to what is the true test in all cases—namely, the spirit of the law. Sir William Scott, speaking of ctvil , magistrates who were ar rested and detained as contraband, says g 1 It appears to me on principle to be but reasonable that when it la of VAGINA insportance to the enemy that Full persons shall be Mit out on the public service at the public exprise, iTsbould afford equal ground of forfeiture agatnst the vessel that may be let out fur a purpose so intimately connected with the hostile operations." I trust that I have shown that the four per- Foils ~hd wire tal.. fro. the Trent by captain Wilkes, and their deapatches, were contraband of war.' The second inquiry is, whether Captain Wilkes bad a right, by the law of nations, to detain and search the Trent? The Trent, though she carried nails, was A eon tract or merchant vessel—a common carrier for hire. Maritime law knows only three climes of veasels--vessels of war, revenue vessels, and mer chant -re.els. The Trent falls wirbin the latter Glass. Whatever disputes have existed concerning a right of visitation or search in time of pawn, 011110, it is annum& k i 4:0.468 is modoh titAm about the right of a belligerent in time of war to capture contraband in neutral and even friendly merchant vessels, and of the right of visitation and search, in order to determine whether they are neutral, and are documented as such according to the law of miliaria. assume, in the present case, what. as I read British authorities. is regarded by Great Britain herself as true maritime law ; tht%t tho circumots: 00 that the TiCiit ese proceeding from a neutral port to another neutral port does not modify the right of the belligerent cantor. The third question is, whether Capt. Wilkes eir sreissd the right of week ha a. lawful and Freres manner ? If any doubt hung over this point, as the case was presented in the statement of it adopted by the British Government, / think it must have already passed away before the modifications of that state ment which I have already submitted. I proceed to the fourth inquiry—namely, Having found the suspected contraband yf wa PA WWI dio Trritt, had Captain Wilkes a right to capture the same? Such a capture is the chief, if not the only re cognized, object of the permitted visitation and search. The P rinciple of the law is, that, the bel ligerent, exposed to danger, may prevent the con traband persons or things from applying themselves or being applied to the hostile uses or purposes de signed. %le law is On very liberal in this respect that when contraband is found on board a neutral vessel, not only is the contraband forfeited, but the vessel. which is the vehicle of its passage of trans portation, being tainted, AIN !MOMS contraband, and is subjected to capture and confiscation. Only the fifth question remains—namely, Did Captain Wilkes exercise the right of capturing the contraband in conformity with the law of nations? It is just 6cro Chet 'h e aillitteltiee of the ease be gin. 'What is the manner which •he law of nations prescribes for disposing of the contraband when you have found and seized it on board of the neu tral. vessel? The answer would be easily found if the question were, what you shall do with the con traband vessel. You must take or send her into a convenient port, and subject her to &judicial prose cution there in admiralty, which wilt try and de cide the quesilone of belligerency, neutrality, con traband, and capture. So, again, you would promptly find the same answer, it the question Were, What is the wanner of proceeding proscribed by the law of nations in regard to the contraband, if it be property or things of material or pecuniary value ? But the question hero concerns the mode of pro cedure iu regard, not to the vessel 'Una was cr.rry ing the contraband, nor yet to contraband things 'a blob worked the forfeiture of the vessel, but to contraband persons. The books of law are 43100 Yet the question is as important as it is difficult. First, the belligerent captor has a right to prevent the contraband officer, soldier, sailor, minister, messenger, or courier from procetding in his unlawful voyage and retching the destined seen° of his injurious service. Bat, on the other hand, the person captured may be innocent— that is. be may not be contraband. He, therefore, has a right to a fair trial of the accusation against I.lm. The neutral State that has taken him under its flag, is bound to protect him if ho is not contra band, and is therefore entitled to be satisfied upon that important question. The faith of that:State is pledged to his safety, if innocent, AS its justice i Pit aged to his surrender if ho is really contrahmd. Here aro conflicting claims, involving personal liberty, life, honor, and duty. Here are conflicting national claims, involving welfare, safety, honor, and empire. They require a tribunal and a trial. The captors and the captured are equals; the neu tral and the belligerent State are equals. While the law authorities were found silent, it was suagested at un early day by this Government that you should take the captured persons into a convenient port. and institute judicial proceedings there to try the controversy. But only courts of admiralty have jurisdiction in maritime oases, and these courts have formulas to try only claims to contraband chattels, but none to try claims con cerning contraband persons. The courts can en tertain CO preeeedlt.ge and render no judgment in favor of or against the alleged contraband men. It was replied all tbis is true, but you can reach in those courts a decision which will have the moral weight of a judicial one by a nirouitoua proaseding. Convey the Angpeeted Merl, together with the SUS pected vessel, into port, and try there the question whether the vessel is contraband. You can prove it to he so by proving the anapaest' Bien to he a en traband, and the court must then determine the vessel to be contraband. If the men are not con traband the vessel will escape condemnation. Still, there is no judgment for or against the eaptured persons. But, it was assumed that there would re sult from the determination of the court concerning the vessel a legal certainty concerning the eh:meter of the men. This course of proceeding . seemed open to many objections. It elevates the incidental inferior pri vate interest into the proper place of the main paramount public one, and possibly it may make the fortunes, the safety, or the existence of a nation depend on the accidents of a merely personal and pecuniary litigation. Moreover, when the judgment of the prize court upon the lawfulness of the cap ture of the vend is rendered, it really concludes nothing, and binds neither the belligerent State nor the neutral upon the great question of the disposi tion to be made of the captured contraband per- Eats. That question is still to be really determined, if at all, by diplomatic arrangement or by war. One may well express his surprise wnen told that the law of nations has furnished uo more reasona ble, practical, and perfect mode than this of deter mining gut-glens of such grave Import between sovereign Powers. The regret we way feel on the occasion is nevertheless modified by the reflection that the diffieulty is net rdtegether anomalous. Similar sad equal deficiencies are found in every system of municipal law, especially in the system which exists in the greater portions of area Bri tain sad the United States. The title to personal property can hardly ever be resolved by a court without resorting to the fiction that the claimant bas lost and the possessor has found it, and the tide to real estate is disputed by real litigants under the anuses of iffiligithiFy hers ens. It meat be confessed, however, that while all aggrieved nations demand, and all impartial ones concede, the need of some form of judicial process in determining the charac ters of contraband persons, no other form than the illogical and circuitous one thus described exists, nor bas any other yet been suggested. Practically, therefore, the choice is between that judicial reme dy or DO judicial remedy whatever. If there be no judicial remedy, the result is that the question must be determined by the captor him self, on the deck of the prize vessel. Very grave objections arise against such a course. The captor is aimed, the neutral is unarmed. The captor is interested, prejudiced, and perhaps violent; the neutral, if truly neutral, is disinterested, subdued, and helpless. The tribunal is irresponsible, while its judgment is carried into instant execution. The captured party is compelled to submit, tlicult bound by no legal, moral, or treaty obligation to acquiesce. Reparation is distant and problemati cal, and depends at last on the justice, magnani mity, or weakness of the State in whose behalf and by whose authority the capture was made. Out of these disputes reprisals and wars necessarily arise, and these are so frequent and destructive that it may well be doubted whether this form of remedy is n.t a greater social evil than all that could follow if the belligerent right of search were universally renounced and abolished forester. But carry the ease one step farther. What if the State that has made the capture unreasonably re. luso to bear the complaint of the neutral or to re. dress it? In that ease, the very act of capture would be an set of war—of war begun without no tice and possibly entirely without provocation. • tbiek all unprejudiced minds will agree that, imperfect as the meting judicial remedy may be supposed to be, it wend be, as a general practice, better to follow it than to adept the eutumary one of leaving the decision with the captor, and rely ing upon diplomatic debates to review his decision. Practically, it is a question of choice hetWeed with its imperfections and delays, and war, with its evils and desolations. Nor is it ever to be forgot ten that neutrality. honestly and justly preserved, is always the harbinger of peace, and therefore is the common interest of nations, which is only say ing that it is the interest of humanity itself. At the same time it is not to be denied that it may sometimes happen that the judicial remedy - will become impossible, as by the shipwreck of the prize 'vessel, or other circumstanees which excuse the captor frtm sending or taking her into port for confiscation. In such a case the right of the cap tor to the custody of the captured persons and to dispose of theta, if they are really contraband, so as to defeat their unlawful purposes, carnet rea sonably be denied. What rule shall be applied in §Ella case? Clearly, the captor ought to be re quired to show that the failure of the judicial remedy results from circumstances beyond his con trol, and without his fault. Otherwise, he would. be allowed to derive advantage front a wrongful act of hie own. In *e present case, Captain Wilkes, after cap turing the contraband persons and making prize of the Treat in what seems to us a perfectly lawful manner, instead of sending her into port, released her from the eepttire, and permitted her to pro. ceed with her whole cargo upon her voyage . lie thus effectually prevented the judicial examination which might otherwise have occurred. 11`, new, the capture of the contraband parsons and the capture of the contraband vessel are to be regarded, not as two separable or distinct transac tions under the law of nations, but as one transac tion, one capture only, then it followe that the cap ture in this ease was left unfinished, or was aban doned. Whether the United States have a right to retain the chief public benefits of it, namely, the custody of the captured persons OA proving theta to be contraband, will depend upon the prelimina. ry question whether the leaving of the transaction unfinished was necessary, or whether it was unne- MUM and therefore voluntary, If it was ne. cessary, Great Britain, as we suppose, must of course waive the defect, and the consequent failure at the judicial remedy. On the other hand, it is not seen how the United States eau Wig upon her waiver of that judicial remedy, if the defect of the capture resulted from an act of Captain Wilkes, which would be a fault on their MI SW), Capt. Wilkes has presented to this Government his reasons for releasing the Treat. ,4 I forbore to seize her," he says, "in consequence of my being PO red need in officers and crew, and the iletane reent it would cause innocent persons, there being a large number of passengers who would have been put to great loss aPd lamming°, as well as dis appointment, from the interruption it would have caused them in not being able to join the steamer front St. Thomas to Europe. I therefore concluded to sacrifice the interest of my officers and crew is prize, and suffered her to proceed after the de tention necessary to effect the transfer of those notrimissioners, considering I had obtained the im. portant end I had in view, and which affected the interest of our country and interrupted the action of that a the confederates." I shall consider, first, how these reasons ought to affect the action of this Government; and, secondly, how they ought to t he expected to affect the action of Great Britain. Government, so reasons are satisfactory to this so far as Captain Wilkes is concerned. It could nut desire that the So» Jimiatn, her officers and crew, should be exposed to danger and loss by weakening their number to detach a prize-crew to go on board the Treat, 31111 less could it disavow the humane motive of preventing inconveniences. losses, and perhaps disasters, to the several hundred innocent pteAngt.rs found en hoard the prize yeSsO. Nor could this uovermeut perceive any ground for questioning the feet that these reasons, though apparently ineongrueue, did operate in the mind of tinpiala Wass, and • delei-rolee him to release the Trent. Human actions generally proceed upon mingled. and sometimes conflicting, motives. lie PHILADELPHIA, MONDAY. DECEMBER 30, 1861. measured the sacrifices which this decision would coat. It manifestly, however, did not occur to him that beyond the racrifies of 4114 ppiv.te interests an be calls them) of his officers and crew, there might also possibly be a sacriffee even of the chief and public object of his capture—namely, the right of his Government to the custody and disposition of the captured persons. This Government cannot censure him for this oversight. It confesses that the whole subject came unforeseen upon the Go vernment, as doubtless it did upon him. Its pre rent conviction* on the point in question arc the re sult of deliberate examination and deduction now made, and not of any impressions previously formed. Nevertheless, the question now is, not whether Captain Wilkes is justified to his Government in what be did, but what is tip present view of the Government as to the effect of what he has done? Mauling now, for argument's sake only, that the release of the Trent, if voluntary, involved a waiver of the claim of the Government to hold the captured persons, the United States could, in that case, have no hesitation in saying that the nut which. Las thus already been approved by the Government must be allowed to draw its legal consequence after it. It is of the very nature of a gift or a charity that the giver cannot, after the exercise of his be nevolence is past, recall or modify its benefits. We aro thus brought directly to the question whether we are entitled to regard the release of the Trent as involuntary, or whether we are obliged to coneider that it was voluntary. Clearly the re. lease would have been involuntary bad it been made solely upon the first ground assigned for it by Capt. Wilkes--namely, a want of a sufficient force to send the prize vessel into port for adjudication. It. is nor• the duty of a captor to hazard his own vas- Eel in order to secure a judicial examination to the captured party. No large prize crew, however, is legally necessary, for it is the duty of the captured party to acquiesce and go willingly before the Id bullet to whose jurisdiction it appeals. If the cap tured party indicate purposes to employ means of resistance which the captor cannot with probable solely to himself overcome, he may properly leave the vessel to go forward ; and neither she nor the State she represents can ever afterwards justly ob ject that the captor deprived her of the judicial remedy to which she was entitled. But the second reason assigned by Capt. Wilkes for releasing the Treat differs from the first. At best, therefore, it must be held that Capt. Wilkes, as ho explains himself, acted from combined senti ments •.f aad generosity, and so that the release of the prize vessel was not strictly necessary or involuntary. Becobilly. Bow ought we to expeot these expla nations by Capt. Wilkes of his reasons for leaving the capture incomplete to affect the action of the British Government? The observation upon this point which first occurs is, that Capt. Wilkes' explanations were not made to the authorities of the captured vessel. If made known to them they might have approved and taken the release, upon the condition of waiving a pdicial investigation of the whole transaction, or they might Gave refused to accept the release upon that condition. But the case is one not with them, but with the Bt it ith Government. If we claim that Great Britain ought not to insist that ajudieial trial has been lost because we voluntarily released the offending wea sel out of consideration for her innocent passengers, I du not see how she is to be bound to acquiesce in the decision which was thus made by us without riecewi , y ou cur part, and without knowledge of conditions or consent on her own. The question between Great Britain anti ourselves thus stated would be a question not of right and of law, but of favor to be conceded by her to ua its isturn for favors shown by us to her, of the value of which favors on both sides wo ourselves shall be the judge. Of course the United States could have no tho og la of misleg such a question in any vase. I trust that I have shown to the satisfaction of the British Government, by a very simple and natural statement of the facts, and analysis of the law ap plicable to thorn, lb.& this Government has neither meditated, nor practised, nor approved any de liberate wrong in the transaction to which they have called its attention ; and, on the contrary, that what beg happened btu been simply an inadvertency, dottaglibg in a departure by the naval officer, free from any wrongful motive, from a rule uncertainly established, and probably by the several parties concerned either perfectly mider.good or entirely unknown. For this error the British Government has a right to expect the same reparation that we, as an independent State, should expect from Great Britain or from any ether friendly nation in a simi lar ease. I have not been unaware that, in examining this question, I have fallen into an argument fer what seems to be the British side of it against my own country. - But I am relieved from all embarrass ment on that. subject. I had hardly fallen into that line of argument, when I discovered that I was re. ally defending and maintaining, not an exclusively British interest, but an old, honored, and cherished American cause, not upon British authorities, but upon principles that constitute a larg;a portion of the distinctive policy by which the United States have developed the resources of a continent, and, thus becoming a considerable maritime Power, have won the respect and confidence of many na tions. These principles were laid down for us in 1804, by James Madison, when Secretary of State in the Administration of Thomas Jefferson, in in etructions given to dames Monroe, our minister to England. - Although the case before him concerned a description of persons different from those who are incidentally the aultjects of the present discus sion, the ground he assumed then was the same I now occupy, and the arguments by which he sus- Mired hirattiP tip& it have boon an inspiration to me in preparing this reply. "W b enever," he says, "property found in a neutral vessel is supposed to be liable on any ground . to capture and condemnation, the rule in all cases ie, that the question shall not be decided by the captor, but be carried before a legal tribunal, -where a regular trial may be had, and where the captor himself is liable to damages for an abase of Cab it be reasonable, then, or just,-that a belligerent commander, who is thus restricted, and thus responsible in :rem of mere property of trivial amount. should be permitted, without recur ring to any tribunal whatever, to examine the crew of a neutral vessel, to decide the important ques tion of their respective allegiances, and to carry that decision into execution by forcing every indi vidual he may choose into a service abhorrent to his etlings, cutting him off from his most tender et,nnections, exposing his mind and his person to the most humiliating- discipline, and his life itself to the greatest danger ? Reason, justice, and Iknman ity unite in protesting against so extravagant a proceeding." If I decide this case in favor of my own Govern ment, I must disavow its most cherished principles, aid reverse and forever abandon its essential po licy. The country cannot aflpr¢ 4 1 .9 §ll9firl99, If I maintain those principles and adhere to that policy I must surrender the case itself. It will be seen, therefore, that this government could not deny the justice of the claim presented to us in this respect upon its merits. We are asked to do to the British nation just what we have always insisted all nations ought to do to us. The claim of the British Government is not made in a discourteous manner. This Government, since its first organization, has never used more guarded language in it similar ease. In coming to my conclusion I have not forgotten that, if the safety of this Union required the de lention Of the captured persons, it would be the right and duty of this Government to detain them. But the effectual cheek and waning proportions of the existing insurrection, as well as the comparative hhiroVirtatioe of the captured persons themselves, when dispassionately weighed, happily forbid inn from resorting to that defence. Nor can I unaware that American eitizene are not in any case to be unnecessarily surrendered for any purpose into the keeping of a foreign State. Only the captured persons, however, at' ethers who are interested in them, could justly raise a question on that ground. Nor have I been tempted at all by suggestions that cases might be found in history where Great Britain refused to yield to other nations, and even to ourselves, claims like that which is now Were us. Thom cares occurred when Great Britain, as well as the United States, was the home of genera tions which, with all their Peeniinr interests and passions, have passed away. She could in no other way so effectually disavow any such injury as we think she does by assuming now, as her own, the ground upon which we then stood. It would tell little for our own claims to the character of a just and magnanimous people if we should so far con sent to be guided by the law of retaliation as to lift NP haslet; Whales from their graves to oppose against what national consistency and the national conscience compel us to regard as a claim intrinsi cally right. Puttin g Isshlud ma all suggestions Of tilif) thine, I prefer to express my satisfaction that, by the ad juatment of the present ease upon principles eon fes.stdly American, and yet, as I trust, mutually satisfactory to both of the nations concerned, a question is finally and rightly settled between them, *bleb, heretofore exhausting not only all forms of peaceful discussion, but also the arbitrament of war itself, fur more than half a century alienated the two count:Ma from each other, and perplexed with fears and apprehensions all other nations. The four persona in question are now held in mili tary custody at Fort Warren, in the State of Massa chusetts. They will be cheerfully liberated. Your lordship will please indicate a time and place for receiving them. I avail myself of this occasion to offer to your lordship a renewed assurance of my very high con. @ideration. Wenl444 tsnlalto, MR. TROUTENED TO DIR. MERCIER. TRANSLATION. ADMINISTRATION OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, POLITICAL DEPARTMENT, Penis, December 3, 1.861. Sin: The arrest of Messieurs Mason and Slidell ; cu board the Euglieh packet Troth by au American cruiser, has produced in Framle, If not the saute emotion as in England. at least extreme astonish- ILent and atusatiou, Public ceutirueld was at Mc engrossed with the lawfulness and the consequence of snob en net, and the impression whielf has re sulted from this has not been for an instant doubt ful. The fact bas appeared so much out of accordance with the ordinary rules of internatiotMi law that it has chosen to throw the responsibility for it ex clusively on the commander of the San Jacinto. It is not yet given to us to know whether this sup position is well founded, and the Government of the Emperor has, therefore, alto had to •Viiiditine the question raised by the taking away . of the two pas sengers from the Trent. The desire to contribute to prevent a conflict, perhapp imminent, between two Powers for which it is animated by sentiments equally friendlr, and the duty to uphold, for the purpose of playing the rights et' its own flag under shelter from any attack, certain principles essential to the security of neutrals, have, after mature re• flection. convinced it that it could not e gutier t 149 circumstances, remain entirely ailents If, to our deep regret, the Cabinet at Witabington were disposed to approve the conduct of the com mander of the San Jimmie, it would be eithes by considering 11 entre. Mason and Slidell as enemies, or as seeing in them nothing but rebels, In the one as in the other case there would be a forgetfulness, extremely annoying. of principles upon which we Lave always found the United States in agreement wish us. -/3y what title in effect would the /lineman cruiser, in the first ease, have arrested Messrs. Mason and Slidell? The United States have ad ha the treaties concluded betwoeu the two countries, that the freedom of the flag ox• tends itself ever the pereons loud on board., ehoald they be enemies of one of the two parties, un less the question is of military people actually in the eeirtee of the enemy, Menem. Mason and MO dell were, therefore, by virtue of this principle, Which we have never found any difficulty in causing to be inserted in our treaties of friendship and commerce, perfectly at liberty :goer the neutral Sag of England. Doubtless it will not be pre tended that they could be considered as contraband of warP _That which constitutes contraband of war is not yet, it is true, exactly settled-4h° limit& tions are not absolutely the same fore all the Powers ; but in what relates to persons, therapecial stipula tions which are found in the treaties concerning military 'people define plainly the character of those whet tell: tea be seized upon by belligerent's; but there is no need to demonstrate that Messrs. Mason and Slidell could not be assimiltited to per sons in that category. There remains, therefore, to invoke, hr explanation of their capture, caly the pretext that they were the bearers of of de spatches from the enemy ; but this is the moment to recall a eirenmstance which governs all'this af fair, and which renders the conduct of the Atiaeri. eon miler unjustifiable The Trent was not destined to a point belonging to one of the. belligerents ; she was carrying at a neutral country her cargo and her passengers; and moreover it has in a neutral pert that they wero taken. if it• were admissible that undor such con ditions the neutral Stag does not completely cover the persons and merchandise it carries, its immuni ty would be nothing more than an idle word Qt any InWlent. the commerce and the navigation cf third Powers would have to suffer from their inno— cent and even their indirect relations with the one or the other of. the belligerents. These last would no longer Mid 'themselves as having only the right to exact from the neutral entire impartiality, and to interdict all intermeddling on his part in acts of hostility, They would imposeon his freedom of commerce and navigation, restrictions which mo dern international law has refused to admit as legi timate ; and we should; in a word, fall back upon VeXatiOlniprnetiCeS, against which, in other epoebei no Power has — inere earnestly pretested than the United Starts. :I- If the Cabinet of Washington would only look on the two persons arrested as rebels, whom it is al waYs laWfitl to "selie, the question, to place it en other greid, could not be solved, however, in a sense in favor of 'the commander of the Sam jet einto. There would be, in such case, misapprehen sion of the prineiple which makes a veikel a por tion of the territory of the nation whose flag it bears, and violation of that immunity which prohi bits a foreign sovereign, by consequence, from the exercise of bis jurisdiction. It certainly is not ne cessary _tee; recall to mind with what energy, under every circumstance, the Government of the United States haAnaintained this immunity, and the right of asyluicurvol , ich is the consequence of it. Not wielimp., to enter upon a . mese door ditoos e'en of the questions raised by the capture of Messrs. Martin and Slidell, I have said enough, I think, to settle the point that the Cabinet of Wash ington could not, without striking a blow at the principlest which all neutral nations are alike in terested in holding in respect, nor without taking the attitude of contradiction of its own course up to this time, give itiapprobation to the proceedings of the commander of the San Jaeintu. In this state of things, it evidently should not, according to our views, hesitate about the determination to be taken Lord Lyont is atre* instructed to present the demand fur eallsfautiort Mon the English Cabinet is under the neeessitY of reducing to form, and which consists in the immediate release of the per sons taken from on board the Trent, and in send ibegplattsdions x.1.1.h assay teku from this act its offensive character upward the British flag. The Federal Government will be inspired by a just and exalted feeling in dererTing,to reqgests. VA@ would search in Yale to what end, fur what in* terest, it would hazard to provoke, by a different attitude, a rupture with Great Britain. For ourselves, we obi:mid see in that fact a de plorable complication, is every respect, of the dila minks with which the 'Cabinet of Washington fhas already to struggle, and a precedent of a nature seriously to disquiet all the Powers which continue outside of the &totting statist. Welb.licv., that we give evidence of loyal friendship for the Cabinet of Washington by neli - permitting it to remain in igno rance, in this condition of things, of our manner of regarding it. I request ion, therefore, air, to seize the first occasion of opening yourself frankly to Mr. Seward, and, if he asks.% send him a copy of this despatch. Receive, sir, the awuranee of my high consideration, Taouvestan. Monsieur HENRI MSSICIER, Itinibter of the Rnapetek at Washington MR. SEWARD TO MR. MERCIER DEPARTMENT OF STATE, WASHINGTON, December 27,1861. SIR : I'have submitted to the President the copy you were so goodas to. give me of the despatch ad dressed to you on the &i of December, instant, con cerning the ,reoont proceedings of Capt. Wilkes, in arresting certain persons on board of the British contract mail steamer Trent. Before receiving the paper, however, the Presi dent had decided upon the disposition to be made of the subject which has caused so much anxiety in Europe. That disposition of the subject, as I think, renders unneoessary any discussion of it, in reply to the comments of Mr. Thouvenel. lam permitted, however, to say that Mr. Thouvenel has not been in error in euppoeing i first, that the Government of the United States has nut acted in any spirit of dis regard of the rights: or of the sensibilities, of the British Ra_t191444 `fitt he to equally just in as- Bowing teat the United States would consistently .vindicate, by their praetiee, on this occasion, the character they have so long maintained as an ad vocate of the most liberal principles concerning the rights of neutral States in maritime war. Wheh the French Government shall come to see at large the views of this Government and those of the Government of Great Britain on the subject question, and to compare them With the views expressed by Mr. Thouvenel on the part of France. it will probably perceive that, while it must be admitted that those three Powers are equally im pressed with the same desire for the estaMishment of principles favorable to neutral rights, there 19, at the same time, not such an entire agreement concerning the application of those principles as is desirable to secure that important object, The Government of the United States will be happy if the occasion which has elicited this coffee patience can be improved so wh o le subjec t by more definite agreement upon the subject by all maritime Powers. You will assure Mr. Thonvenel that this Govern ment appreciates as well the frankness of his ex.- pisnatioos as the spirit of friendship and good Will towards the United States in which they are ex pressed. It 113 a sincere pleasure for the United Staten to exchange assurances oft a friendship which had its origin in associations the most sacred in the history of both countries. I wvail wyueltd this opportunity to renew to you, Bk, the aasurance of my high consideration. WILLIAM H. SEWARD. MR, HENRI MERCIER, to., 4io. LOIIII LYONS TO MIL SEWARD WASHINGTON, Number 27, 1801. TnE HON. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, &C. he. Sin : I have this morning received the note which Inv did me the honor to address to me yesterday, in answer to Earl Russell's despatch of the 30th November lsst, relative to the removal of Mr Ma con, Mr. SliJell, Mr. Macfarland, and Mr. Eustis from the British mail packet Trent. I will, without any loss of time, forward to her Majesty's Oovernment a copy of the important emembnication which you have made to me. I will wise, without delay, do myself the honor to confer with you personally on the arrangements to be made for delivering the four gentlemen to me, in order that they may be again placed under the protection of the British fins. tIEW4 , Vic bciwi tq la% with 4h9 highest conside ration, sir, your most obedient humble servant, Lroirs. HOW THE NEWS N RECEIVED The MINIM Intentgencer on the Re- The National Intelligencer, which first pub lished the correspondence, in its comments on the amen of ottr Government says! We learn that the decision of the President in this egair, as announced and explained in the luoid de- Match of Mr. Seward, has t •o approval of every member of the Cabinet, and, whatever may be the disappointment of any at the result to which the Administration has come in settling a (mois t egg stirutivnally devolved upon the Baccutive branch of the Government, we are sure that all will applaud the firmness and sincerity with which the Administration, < resisting a natural tendency impressed by the conceived drift of public opinion in our own country, has resolved to do what it believes to be right in the premises, And it surely should "give pause" to all who may be disposed to challenge the propriety of the resolution to which the Adimplatratiou has come ; when they note that a contrary decision would leave us in op position not only to the views of Great Britain, but also to those which the Government of Prance an nounces respecting the principles of public law in volved in this transaction. The latter Government, in making the declaration it does, under this head, is not open to the suspicion of being animated by any unfriendly sentiment, or by the vindictive feel ings which may be imputed to the British Ciovern• moot in making a demand while as yet smarting under a conceived insult to its flag. Least of all cat the Government of France be supposed to act in subserviency to any , considerations extrinsic to the international aspects of this cage as one of pub lic law important to all maritime Powers, since we find M. Thouvenel merely anticipating from the traditions of our past history the determination to which our Government had come in advance of re oeivifig the representations which the Government of France conceived itself called to make in the in terest of the law of nations. It will not be forgotten by the attentive reader of this journal that, while seeking to show, as we have dime, that the set of Capt. Wilkes was justi fiable according to the British precedents, we have at the same time admitted that there was grave rea son to doubt whether, in consistency with the eon , struotion heretofore placed on the international code by the United States, our Government would be able at all points to defend the proceeding. This we indicated under several -ea- 1- . 1 s in the Intent . - gencer of the 9th instant, in an article entitled the " Diplomatic Equilibrium," and in which we cited some opinions announced by Mr. Madison in eon. dusting the argument on the part of the United States against the assumed right of the British Go _ , . YeTPAMIL 19 Tim our ships and take from them, by a process as summary as that of which it now complains, certain alleged subjects, on the plea that they were deserters frot:a. the British service. tit a atilt later day, in the Intelltgencer of the lath inst., we took occasion to repeat "that the only doubt raised in the case of Messrs. Mason and Sli dell was not whether their AIWA is justifiable ac cording to British rulings and precedents, but whether 071 r Government could afford to rla4or6e Mac precedents . and rulings as constituting sound national law, goad for all time to come as well as for present emergenries." it appears that the Achnipistratiee has refused to endorse them, and, discarding all justification that might be derived form ancient rulings of the British admiralty courts, and even from the principles of public law as donned by many reputable publicista, has determined to adhere strictly to the line of the precedents marked out by our own Government in the Mudisonian eta of the Republic, especially as in the very act of treilit . 1g so we are able to cocelmie the government oil Siretiet Britain, from the sser• cise of a pretended risen, which, so late as the year 1842, in the negotiatlonts keel between Mr. Web ster and Lord Ashburean, the latter refused fee _malty to rt-Eitaance. Ver alts.la l or come°, to tte claim of the British Government So impress allegee., 4 _British sailors from Amerittan ships on the high' seas. In these negotiationr; Mr. Webster then announced as a principle ofi duly re our own eith. semi. whether native-born or ttaturitirized, by which the United States would stand, tbat " the practice of impaessing seamen from Arne:Man v . essele cannot hereafter be allowed to take ?Ace." Lord Ash burton, la declining to entertain the umbjeet, ex pressed the " hope that a satisfactory arrangement respecting it might be made. so as to. set at rest all apprehension and anxiety." In view' of the posi tion new Mkon by tho British Cloy-sremc.ni, I. ob- Wjecting to the summary procoodinge - or Captain Wilkes, we may safely assume thut IFh.erat Britain will never again uphold her naval CEMIIRTIABIT in visiting Awe:limn ships and searehing fer alleged British Subjeeht, to be seised and imprestsedAilto the British service without further ceremonyi Whatever, therefore, may be said by any , in the way of exception to the extreme terms nl"the de- Samna 1:1111410 by the British Uoyernment in thwcuse of the Trent, it is at least just to admit tAt the ease has been so adfusted by our Governmentras to subserve, we wouldthope, the groat cause of :astral tc eights egeieet .-145.mptione horotoevre ..-4cerf i ed by England, but now repudiated by that Power in common with Frame and the United States. The law of nations, as' traditionally interpreted byte(' Government, haw• reached a new eanetion;theugh at the cost, it may be, of some national eensibilitiea waked into disproportionate activity by the tempo rary exacerbations-of our civil feuds. The latter; let us remember, are het for a day_ The law ni nations is for all time. The Feeling a 4 Washington. WASIIINGTON, Dee: 2ili—The settlement of the I tTC11; affair affords mush gratification among all conservatives. Prominent Vnion-loving men, what ever may have been their previous opinions on the itubject, regard the adjustment as remolik a seri• ens impediment in the prasecution orTiostilities against the insurgents, and as depriving the enemy of the strength which they would have derived from a was bet.W.Mit 41.6 Uoitod 6.E.L.. and 4J...A Britain, and possibly with France. There is a generally-expressed acquiescence in the (mune of the Government, while the despatches of Secretary Seward are viewed in the light, of the highest states manlike ability. The Mason and Slidell Affair at Boston. .13Torf, December Zit3.--The publio have received the announcement of. the surrender of Mason and Slidell to the British Government very philosophi oallY, hayipg generally anticipated Hob a Elute, The street talk is that Mason and Slidell were not worth their board, here or elsewhere. The steamer Niagara- arrived this afternoon. Her advisee have been reeeiveg via HatifLy.. MISCELLANEOUS WAR NEWS. The Return of Congressman Ely. The Washington correspondent of the New York Tines Bays lion. Alfred Ely arrived at seven o'clock this evening, from Minoru, and proceeded at once to Willard's, where be was- immediately recognized and warmly welcomed by a large numberof Mends, The robust appearance would hardly indicate that he had been five months a prisoner of war. The following statement of facts-I have gathered frets Ms. Ely. And first, it will be gratifying ..,to know that during his whole . period of imprison ment:Mr. Ely has never experienced a desponding moment ; that he has been in the best of health, . and his buoyancy of spirits has so sustained him that he now returns With his-usual vigor, and ready to resume the active duties of his position. The particulars of bir. Ely's capture have never been fully known, and he states them as follows He was captured by a South Carolina company of infantry, about 5 o'clock P: M. of the day of battle. lie had stopped at a blacksmith's shop to have his carriage mended, and, after that i waited awhile for Senator Poster, of.Cennectiout, who had gone out with him. While waiting, he walked down towards a ravine, in whiehle saw a company of National treopa skulking or in ambush, but as he approached them they receded, and just as Mr. Ely paused, to return to. his carriage, a spent mus ket ball struck the earth near him. He stepped behind a large tree near by, to be out of danger, and continued his observations, In a moment a cannon ball went crashing through the branches of the tree, and seemed to be felling the whole top upon him. By the time he recovered from this surprise, a company of soldiers, accompanied by two well,dretwed officers, emerged from the woods near by. On perceiving Mr. Ely, the two officers advanced and demanded bisname. Ile answered, " Mr. Ely, of New York." The question followed, "Do you hold any civil oleo in the Government?" For the first time Mr. Ely said he felt he was in trouble. He replied that he was a member of Congress, and thereupon one of the officers clapped his band upon him and declared him a prisoner, but assured him ho should be treated wits every consideration. Riley task Idea to their colonel, and introduced Lim formally as "Eon. Mr. Ely, member of Con gress from New York." Instantly the colonel drew a pistol, cocked it and leveled it at Mr. Ely's head, not two paces distant, and said, " You d—d rascal, I'll blow your brains out." The two officers who had arrested Mr. Ely instantly threw them selves upon the colonel, forced his pistol back, and persuaded him away. They then apologized to Mi. Ely, saying they were ashamed of their colo nel, who was exottga by drinking. This officer was Col. Cash, and the officer who arrested Mr. Ely Was Capt. Mullins. Mr. Ely was put with a large herd of prisoners, and all were started to Manassas. It was a march of seven weary miles, and the prisoners suffered tortures from the dust heat and thirst. 44 MA u.ss.e, which they reached at '0 o'clooli P. M., they were driven into an open square, surrounded thickly by guards, and all began to fall on yp e ground, then wet with a teat-inning rata, to seek rest and sleep. While Mr. Ely was preparing for a similar movement, an officer rode into the yard, and called aloud to know if "Mr. Ely, of New York, was present." Mr. Ely thought his time had now come to be shot. Nevertheless, lie answered the call, and was told that Gan. Beaureo•ard re quired tl? Mac ;9 his headquarters, ' lle fol. lowed the officer, and reached the log house sur rounded by a verandah, on the porch of which, with a single candle burning on it, was a table, and around the table eat Jeff Deals, Beauregard, Extra Billy Smith, Poreher Miles, and oth.r rebel officers,apparently reckoning up the result of the day's attle. Forcher Miles approached Mr. Ely and ex pressed regret at his situation, but, in a moment, changed his tone, remarking that he had no opinion of eobgree.smen who would come to aid an army iu invading a State. Mr. Ely was sent off to sleep in a barn, where he found the captured national officers. The next day they were all started to Richmond. The morning after their arrival there, Messrs. Bocook and Pry% of Virginia, and Keitt and Boyce, of South Carolina, called upon Mr. Ely, and stated that they should use their influence to secure his release. They made an application for this pap Se to JOE Davis, who called a meeting of his Cabinet, and the mat was a consultation of several hours. The Cabinet generally favored Mr. Ely's release, but Davie, Benjamin, and Hunter were op posed to it, on grounds of public policy, and Walker, the Secretary of War, sent an elaborate communication stating that the Cabinet had 661A4 to the conclusion to deny the application. Mr. Ely's arrival was announced by the Rich mond papers and the whole press of the bout, by which he soon became notorious. Visitors came to see him by hundreds, and It was not unfrequontly the case that be had forty in his room at a time. Among them were Breckinridge, Humphrey Mar shall, and ex-Minister Preston, who expressed the opinion that his being held in custody was an out rage. The Governors and Episcopal bishops of most of the rebel States were also visitors. In faot, they came to him from all parts of Jeff Davis' domin ions. Bouquets were sent him almost daily, and Sometimes not less than a dozen a day. Hie meals, too, nicely prepared, were sent him by the families of citizens. In his conversations politics were rarely alluded to, except he himself introduced the subject, when there was a free Interchange of opinion. The position of our hostages at Richmond is painful, Seven of them are confined in a room about twelve by fifteen feet, in, the Richmond jail, having two small windows, which admit but little light. They are permitted to see no person but the jailor and the negro who waits upon them, and are only permitted to leave their cells thirty minutes in the morning, and the same time in the afternoon, to walk in the narrow promenade between the jail building and the inner wall. Their food consists of jail fare, sobby corn bread and boiled beef, and they are not permitted to have anything better even though they purchased it. When Mr. Ely was released he went in company with Mr. Faulk ner to the jail, and the two weregranted the favor of an interview with the unfortunate officers. Mr. Faulkner expressed his surprise at this rigor, anti he stated that such was not the treatment that the privateers received in New York and Philadelphia; that though they were held for capital crimes they wore allowed to receive visitors and to have all the comforts compatible with their safe custody. Mr. Ely thinks that, based upon this last statement by Mr. Faulkner, the rebel authorities will lessen the severity of their treatment, Of the reckless and outrageous conduct of the re bel guards Mr. Ely speaks in terms of the utmost censure. lie Antes that the prisoners bad not been in the tobacco warehouse fifteen minutesbefore a bul let was fired into the window of one of our prisoners who had ventured to put his head outside, and that in this way seven Men had been wantonly killed. This conduct met with severe censure from all who were aware of the facts, but he was not apprised that any action bad boon taken to punish the of , fenders by the rebel authorities. A few days before his release, Mr. Ely was again visited by Messrs. Bowel( and Boyce, who stated i that they ntended tense their efforts to get him ex changed for Mr. Faulkner. The following day he raw announced in a Richmond paper that Mr. Faulkner had been released on his parole for thirty days, on condition that he shad praseed to Rich mond and procure in exchange for himself Mr. Ely, or in the event of failing, to return to Furl Warren. lie could hardly credit this, as he thought had it been the fact. Bocock and Royce would have been aware of it • but as each additional day's intelli gence announced the progress or Kr. Faulkner, he became convinced that his release was near at hand. Mr_ Faulkner wag ITOttl'a in Riehtnend teak a perfect ovation, thirty thousand people being out. The following day Mr. Faulkner called upon Mr. Ely, and they had a pleasant interview, and, having both been prisoners, they could well appreciate their mutual position in the past. Ile announced Lbet be had an interview with ..hfr Paris WA his Cabinet, and be was happy to state that they bad decided upon his release. The following day, General Winder came to the prison, and, with much formality and dignity, entered the room, and in the presence of Mr. Ely's feltow-prisonera pre sented him with his release, and auneuneed to hint TWO CENTS'. that be was a free man, and that he should ho happy to tiee him rot hie olfri holm Aftor the in= terehangs of a few planar words, General Winder loft. A rucetlisg- of the Prison Association, of which Mr. Ely wzos the presidient, west °nee convened, and Mr, Ely made a fererroli address of newly an hour in length. In it bclebearsed pony of the in cidents of the history in which they had borne a part, and that r notwithstamling their confinement, they had succeeded in melting th4fC homes Fagg shoerfully by, wad' be was gratified to amillonee :heat, though there wee so mutt' in therseparation frtm their familie - rand - friends;• in , tho oast of corn- Lran comfort/1i and mineyarAme - theyralreftd, to Ir. - Irate them, them. had never yet been tbpsitg - h . test dhlhtilty during thcit whole five zenths' impotson =cat Thb•deepest emotic - erwere visible on thutourile ....C-43 nt ail of the me - Abe - re prune and •noarly were sleeted to tearlf They parletil with' theift prosid3tit amid mingled' feelings of jey at illir liv erante 'and regret at Idd departure. At r. , oreleek in the afternoon Ml,' rittainer again cailhd at the prisor:with Gov. Leteh'er's car riage, and , they proceedee. 'to the Governor's man sion, wher:e they dined togather, and putedwitht a+ mutual ezpreEsion of persclsrl 'geed fge;thg,: Alp; Ely procesded to Norfolk 1;Y railroad, borax etrOry , where regarded with greal. interest, and , ' the.:co. reached Fortress Monroe and Baltimore. Mr. Ely Ittis , not the sliganst ,doubt of an . eg. tended and t'itcp Union lentil: is Illohmoutii - End says if a nEttohal army were within tou miles of Richmond, th3'nstional flag vituld be hanfzfrcm. hundreds of - Onions in the rebel 'capital. Irever theism, an uttlr ',sign of 4a11 , 4 , 2- prevails and LO' public expressioncan be given. Mr. Ely bring.va list with . hirv-of '2,700 Union , prisoners held urthe South, whoa°. release he Wito labor to 151 , 6dRie, FORTRESS Moitr.toni Dec. 27, via Baltimere, 28.—A flag of tree this morning -took 'to Critney Island Rev. Mr. Brown, a rebel chaplain, and a • lady. No passengore , were brought . down. Considerable excitement prevails at Yorktown in • anticipation of an attack. All the sick were re- - Moved on the 21st by'ordor of General Magruder. The publication of the Norfolk Day Boot was impended yesterday for want of a supply of.paper. Ateopy of that issue was brought down by the flag of 'trooe, -which contains EL lieSpfaCh dated Dezember 20, which says tnat a passenger and freight car came in collision about one mile from there on that afternoon. Three persons had re ceived broken legs, and several horses were killed. The Norfolk Day Boob says that the Winans steamer came into the Roads on Wednesday,- and was atilt there yesterday. the Keyouwe iSaitG was, perhaps, mistaken for the Winans. The Norfolk Day Book learns that General Scott had arrived in New York, that he .sft Eng-. land at the request of the English authorities, and that they were about to declare war against the United States. A despatch dated Naihville,. the 25th, says that Tom Crittenden, with twelve thousand men, was within forty miles of Hopkinsville, and would ad• vance upon that place at three points.- The South ern ro g hto eitiverie there are sending their families and stock to the South. The bnnking•house of a branch of the Northern Zak of Evntuoky, at fileacow, was taken puma. Bion of by the rebels on the 241 h. Only seven thou sand dollars in Kentucky bank bills were found. J9lln G. Pavig, A member of the Federal Con gross from the Seventh district of Indiana, has. ar rived at Hopkinsville on his way to Richmond, but for what purpose it is not stated. A force of not leas than slaty thousand mon, *IV advance of General Buell's army, had crossed Green river, and is within five miles of General, iiiadrean'd adTance. Great preparations hare been made for the defends of BowlinUreen, and show a terrible conflict to be impending. From Mtsimuni Sr. Loma, Dee. .28.—The legal condition of the • negroes discharged yesterday by order of the Pro-. vost Marshal General is in.nowlso cha,nged, are only set free from confinement, imprisonment, and bale, on the presumption that they are the slaves of rebel masters. General Ilalleek wleikeg it understood that this order will not debar any one from enforcing his legal rights -to the services of. these negroes. Such rights, if any exist, can be enforced through , the loyal civil tribunals of the State, whose man dates will always be duly respected The military authorities of this department as military officers Gannet decide upon the rights of property or claims • to service except so far as they may be authorized by the laws of war or acts of Congress When not so authorized they will avoid , all interference with , such questions. 11 . ot much Confidence to be Placed in Canadian Aid. Daum, MIGb., Deo, X—Arthur Rankin, main. ber of the Canadian Parliament and colonel of the Lancers, deeming further connection with the Fixlied State GoViiiiinent improper, in view of our present somplioations with England, has re signed his commission, and will return to England. From Nassau, N. P. N.P.tv YORK, Dee. 28.—The British steamer Kar nak, from Ilavana on the 21st, via Nassau, N. P:, on the 23d, arrived at this port this evening. The rebel !gamma /Isabel and GoJJoh were at Nassau, and were olosely watched by the United States steamer Flambeau. The British steamer Gladiator was. also there, sad would soon sail for England. Mote Bridge Burning.. QUINCY, illinOies Deo, bridgos over the. Fabritts and North rivers, on the Palmyra Rail road, were set on Ore by the rebels last night, and destroyed. The Burnside Expedition. Wasnrao.roN, Dee. 28.—The transport fleet a the Burnside expedition has boen increased by the arrival of the following vessels at Annapolis: steamer Zoa are, Captaht William Hunt; bark Traltivur, Captain. Wtlliam M. Elio bark Guerida, Captain R. S. Pearce ; schooner Skir misher, Captain William H. Richardson, Colonel Eaeltfitt fisd Major of General McClellan's staff, are at Annapolis, inspecting the regiments of the division. The Cannonading near Gardners Bar. GREENPORT, Dec. 28.—The heavy cannonading near ilarcloced be, which was the subject of a telegram from Stoningtott, was caused by General James and others of tioneral McClellan's staff test. ing the James ekraltql. The myaterlatic light was. probably either that from some lighthouse, as seen by landsmen, or an ignia fatuus. THE CITY. ADDITIONAL CITY NEWS ON SECOND PAGII MYSTERIOUS FIRESTHEIR Omaa.—Tegter. day the following singular instances of firm caused by children Caine to our notice. through Fire Marshal Blackburn, who devoted some time in the investigation of their origin. The nits of a well-known citizen, re siding in the upper part of the city, had occasion, some time since, during her husband's alvience, to leave her house for a few how and placed her little son, between . 7 three end four yearn of age, in the charge of A servant girl. The latter being somewhat careless, left the child to take care of himself, and he wandered to a neighbor ing Louse, where he found two little playmates about his own age. The three came back to the house and amused themselves by visiting the second story, where they ex amined the contents cf all the closets, bureaus, Ito., found unlocked. Among other things discovered was a match safe, placed high against the wall out of their reach, bat, by using a chair and table, they soon possessed it. The children, as a matter of course, suggested that they should kindle a bonfire, and the place selected for the tame Wag lihdei , the bed They then ,searched the kureau drawers for materials with which to make their fire. In one drawer were a number of bills, and with them the sum of $l5 in bank notes, to pay them. First was a gro -21,.. pas-a-bewoic, gen to pay the scorei next o. milli ner's bill. with ..gla upon It ; a dressmaker's bill came next, with the required amount upon it, and so on to the lower stratum of the pile. Not aware of the vsiee of the paper, the youngsters took it and set fire to it under the bed. The flames burst up and caught to the sheets. This frighte led the YOUPgstsre, and they all ran from the room, fortunately, however, closing the door behind them. The fire burned slowly, and was soon after discovered by the servant, who, instead of attempting ta extinguish the flames, ran into the third story, seized a trunk containing her own clothes only, and lied into the next house, where she in formed the lady of what had taken place. The latter, with great presence of mind, ran into her neighbor's house, and coolly went to work, and by the aid of a few buckets of water the flames were subdued. As soon as this was accomplished, the door lea ling into the opposite room was opened, in order to give a passage to the smoke, when it was discovered that the bed in this cham ber was also in flames, which were likewise extinguished, without creating any alarm, by the lady. At first, the origin of the fire was a complete mystery to the couple residingin the house. The strange conduct of the domestic, in carrying off her own effects only, caused her to. be strongly ellsPcTif".4 knowingrnrthing about it, Finally, it was suggested to place the matter In the hands of the Fire marshal, who discovered the facts as stated above Upon an examination of the bureau drawer, twenty-five dollars were found remaining; the Ofty,three dollars of the sesenty.eight, together with the bills and the grocer's past•hook, were burned. Enough of the pass book and bank bills remained to satisfy all that these had been used in kindling the tire. . . The Nee Marshal also gave us another case of a far mer, residing near this city, who had occasion to leave his house in charge of hie two ens, eget twelve and four teen years. These youngsters had'aeauired the habit, common with country toys, of smoking corn-silk in hol low elder Mocks. They hail been forbidden to smoke these eines, and were, of course, all the more anxious to do so. The youngest, during the absence of his par-nts, sent into the barn to Fiume up some bedding for cattle, with his pipe lit, mid, as a matter of course, set tire to the stable_ The barn was totally consumed, with itscon tents, consistingof sixty tone of bay, two horses, and a lot of implements. The loss was about $B,OOO. The tar mer was puzzled to know the origin of the fire. The servant girl, who had been in their employ only about three weeks, lin at leagth minted of having tired the piece. The farmer consulted a lawyer at to having tier arrested, but, as there was no evidence to warrant ally such proceeding,' the latter advised him to procure the cervices of am flee rearglist, who soon investiaafed this. wholenuitter. The Ind, who set fire to the stable, Made. a clean breast of the affair, anti abated that after seeing the race in tlnmee, concluded not to say rinithing *gig it, for fear et being, paniaLleti, as {he had repeatedly been warned against smoking. In hoth these cases innocent parties were suspected; and it shows how careful persons , liould he before arriving at a coacimion, 'x`9l; RrilC{lfp of leaving children in the charge of servants la partial)" attended with bad results. MEETING OF TIIR ihe 60E11: tnissioned Officers attached to the first division of Nate Jersey militia wiU meet Friday next in •Nnadvat to exa mine the militia laws of no State to recommend mphal - ~. It-rations 00 t‘ill %tat to ti tqnmetwy. FLAG PitEsENTATiON — UOLONEL LYLE'S IiEGINIEXT.=A came flag will ho promoted by Calm/ Doftioltt to Coluart itonimont of National Gnota. RI the house et' Crimp Icelbr i Frattliforil, at 2 t.'kkok:k I', to4norrow; • TEE WAR PRESS. Tau WAR PRRas will be gent to oubscribeto by mail (per atommtu tolmco) at $9.01 Three Oopies I' Fi ve IC 14 Ten ~ It Larger ei.te ..411 be oLargod et 56. emue rose, thew 20 copies will cost $24 ; 50 copies will cost SS ; mad 100 copies $l2O. Per a Club of TIROMIOI-ore er carer ? we win lion 4 Extra Oopy to the getter-up of the Olob. Ifir Postmasters are rev:Looted to act au Agouti roe THE Wiz Puss. NAVAL AFFAIRS.—The sloop Havelock, cap. tired on the 14th inet., by the 'United Otittonaloooref.vrae ramcstown, on - Gape Romaine, South Gnrolina, arrived this port on Friday, in charge of a prize master. The bu. '4k. of her cargo consists of cigars and coffee. A telegram from LOWCI.I, Delaware, announces that the 'bin_ 4clinirta t from Livervool, laden with nits was then lyi ng , n the rondfitead awaiting a tow. The Admiral au capture ti en the 17th inst., off Savannah, while attempt• t oe to en l the blockade. th kited States gunboats Chambers and Tahomet have flat p. lececticri to sea with sealed orders. unstated in notemporary. These holds ii.tee dropped down to Che. der, where they await two oflicereto com plete the comp lement of both vessels. After those officers are on board 11. 'e gunboats will probably go to see again. The working won of the yard intend giving a grand fall in the teamed o f a few weeks, the proceede of which are to be divided ' between the Cooper Shop and Union VcAnnterr Defretile unit Saloon orgartizatirms. Tho ob ject Is a good ono--d eubbatty patriotic. i 'l lt to Pr ll ld k a 6 y! l a 'l :7l .'rtheji' expreewillri l s i n 9T rstif 4 paid s visit 0) the yet . , highly pleased with they "hie voised. Ile proceeded to 'Washington on Friday i 1:411t. The Aarlfor@ rant be got ready for Hen with all pot gbh] desodtrh. Tyre Allialroll MCP nrrit " l hom o. for the various vessels leavin the yard. At the present time there are three hbundle on the recti - iing.ship subject to draft. The receiving Alp Prince( •. - r Y,' which has innearey heen ' ..w3coeed in the mh.1.11., sqtastis, has bean likatt4 ' to the dock, so es to be aeLairegt , Novi any injurY to occur from ice drifts dialog I.4vtvynter. The two mortar ,lhulyat and Hugel, aro , Veit/ to rewire their moritere. The* 0 0 '14 are ftlirml7 There ago expected every ,iiW Tram Fatthorg, Tlis boats will , be attached in a paessekron consisting ar twenty•threa 'vats, all t 054, this whllitt of them to ender the emenvoid of CotnftxttlOro Boller, eon of the Itimone Comtrftdore, Tile Neural, a side•wheel !isomer! fa. fretting ready WWI all ix ehiblo itepatch. Ara 'it %Al , he put In her Jorin.3. base present rtes. ller sat *ere 7-gnelirrtring daily. Thu Ilmfk Danis, converted int, a g Ott tat, wilt go to can Joie the C.lt'ege-Artte. Tom FARM ScnooL.—We .hav7Aterope had oecanion to notice tins 'institution. T:ro , last annual zutbintrib bas just beta bent up, It DremontS'thet Cairn 01 the inatrOMfon nb tieing In a prundigUngcvamion. The college haildinge are just about hein. e c •tubinted, thug affording room for over three hundred ettLlOirts.' ft !MB just gradairma its Met clam, giving tin ntilette the de gree of Bachelor of ScinbilffP ffiffl The emirs' of instruction is designed*. to bc matitly de. voted to science and the Englieh b each l s srltlWelle stu dent performs- each day a certain antouna-of tinanntilabor aeon the farm. "11. t. pisn vombinirig scientific sail - Jr wii - finantial labor in said to have succcefied well during :he three years the school has been in operation. AB the ink of a false of fear httaiiree acres has been dot to by :Wilton dentt*.end their success in the clam-room hue bez:lq . 4lki &tut! , to that of Ancients ta odeT . inttitlig . o.3. Under the •speelel pecedt.ritien and advantages of Stile co - :.rdtrof instruotion primir.ed the student has an op prwtur itrOf seehor all the practical operations of the farm, ga.,-dph, and , entesery; he the tenet approved manner, with th-s en& of the best inanufes, seeds, tools, and Inibletelehts and, what is of more importance than this, lie studies in the class-room awl laboratory the scientific principle* :nu vol fed in all he does, and, try becoming a scientific mat' and analytical chemist; he is enabled to neatest hlineatfr and others against the !reedit end cheats that are con tinually being practised upon the uneducated by dealmn ' who are themselves either ignorant of science, or use it to impose upon the onsrmtunity. Hr learns how to study t}ta•gen}oByendecTLlVgyt and chemistry of tho Roil ho hatellY of the Phut he grows 4 and the lawn of health and diseases of the animals he we it. 111 , a r word, he is made thoroughly acquainted with the laws a:011 phew-meas. of the material world with which he is M tomediatc Cnntart, and about Which [arum are men ignorant j but u knowledge of which is essential to their material succeas, or intellectual plea sure, in the pursuit of the duties of rural life. To persons in chit a who may wish their eons to become P 0 ) 11 01 . 44 with the dotaiio of practical agriculture and acienctr, anal. at the earn time, to cultivate the atißOCill. tions of rural life r either with a view to ultimately set tling upon farms, or to increasing their capacity for bu siness in town, Dy the associations thus cultivated with the I,iddis, of Ihe coaawy, she term school PROM Vacel lent ad-vantages Persons-wishing a good scientific and practical know ledge of chemistry,. with a view to druggisiry, pharmacy, or the marl foctorsof chtinical salts or manuroe, or our. suing the operetim a of mining, engineering, or any of the induettlai arts, will fled rare oppni Illflitiett, at a compara tively insignificant cost, at the Farm Scho d. The next freMon opena on the 19th of February, and continuanlor ton nionttut PERSORM. ITINS.—CoI. Small, of the Twenty-sixth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, is now in the City. Thu chief object of hit visit is to secure, if two additional companies to be attached to his command. The T wenty•sixth Regiment was the first of the three•years volunteers to leave Philadelphia, and since their departure,. the men have attained a high de gree of otoilelehoy in drill. They hare seen some rousit service, and, as one of the crack regiments in the divi sion, expect. to be in the lead when the advance is made. QOIPP 4 II SMliil.Wliff lariat at Military Hall, Third greet, near Oreen,,on eatiardny evening, and addressed a largo meeting. His patriotic speech was the means of adding a number otreeruits to the roll. Major Berry, of this r ginient, is also at home. He has been very ill with ty pbeid favor. Colonel (twen, of the Irieh Regiment, (Sixty-nib& Pennsylvania Volunteers.) is in the city, and hat well. Be 'wake. in high 'arm of commendation of the disci- Vino and drill of the men under hie commend. Jule' Allen, who wont away with Baxter's Fire Z mays at Adjutant, hag been appointed Brigade aommicaotrv, far the brigade formed by the Zen:Lye., Fi•et Cantwell" Reginient,.Colonels Morehead and Owen' Regi.eet.. Lieutenant Samuel C. NOOVt4I, of Company E, T*ehir ninth Regiment, Colonel Murphy, arrived in town oa Friday, and will remain at home for a few days. Oa brings the intelligence that the boys of the Twenty ninth are FlTaiOnvii waiting for the advance. Olio& W. Sees, well known iu connection with the telegraphic in terests of the Slate, ban been appointed by the Governor Chief of the Transportation and TelegrnphiG Aegertinent. MORE RAILROAD COLLISIONA—On Satttrdar ev"l"Fi half-past six 'fFiliciir 9M CO film occurredon u , m ratiway track at mound and Walnut atra-ta. It peenss that a freight train was stuck ou the track. on bock street, leaving the end of the last car projecting over the Second-street milli,. A car belonging to the .ksecond mid Third" came to a full stop must below Wal nut. Thee a Richmond car Otenvi — thrn another secord and Third. Ail these cars were well filled with paesengei a. While etationary, a couple of heavy freight care were approaching, at a pretty fast rate. down grade, and when a general smash was inevitable ? an etteam +WU hiaele to put the tthrakee down," hat the cars canto on, and violently ran the three passenger cars together. Thellichnond horses were thrown down under the car, and both of them were somewhat hurt. The screams of the paseengert were appalling. The women and children errant; iwit Into the strei-i, and several of them were allabtly.bruireal and otherwise injured. While thie scene wan enactin s , there was another col lision further up Second street. It mecum that the !Mott :4.6 that bad C 3.11,1014 ail the miEcirier waaimandiatoir followed by a Race and Vine•atrect car, and then in turn came another freight car or two. The Race and Vine 'greet Car was mulled between the two freight Miro. and reduced to a wreck in a mument—the dashers were carried away, and the roof was bulged upwards until it formed a figure Ramat like the letter A. There wore but few wieeengera in thin car. The horned escaped only by the intrepidity * of the driver. Thu Peutlaylvnala Rail road Company has nothing to do with the hauling of the cars over the city track. five or eix hundred dollars will not more than pity for the damage done to corm awl horns. These Milldam ham' :JA661114 fre qnent of late, and something should at once ho done to prevent their occurrence. ANOTTIER FIRE FROM BENZINE-.TWO PER. sous BtiliNBll.—Ott Saturday afternoon, about a fire broke out in the fourth story of the six storied Wilding at tho northwest comer of Second and (lasted streets, occupied by Mr. M. B. Lyon as a manufactory of lamps and gas fixtures. Mr. Dyott occupied all of the building except the fourth story, which was tenanted by MY. M. 'donne, numufiteturee of He.Ma raid hed.41,.. epartnteut occupied -y h Mr. trail burned cut, in volving a loss of from 02,000 to V1.,060, upon which Peeps was no insurance. Dy the active exertions of the Orem tho none,. -.,ene conAncit to the one room, but tin , sm.* of Mr. Dycitetiffered consideraLly front water. Hie load, which cannot be ascertained at present, is covered by in surance. Fire Marshal Blackburn investigated then tune of the fire, mid he Ihfotina tta that It originated from the explosion of a illt of benzine, which had beer thought lessly plsced upon the top of a stove by one of the hands. There }sere Mem IP rEqui rinpluynd in the apartment, :am escaped unhurt except Mrs. Elizabeth EhlleS, whorls clothing took fire from the inflammable materials, and yam was belly burned. Daniel McGarigie wise burned about the face Ahab/Wail While endeavoring to extinguish the fire in Mrs. Etittug'gclothipg. As upon several former occasions, the etationery mons engibe and hose hdoriffinff to thr iru ritiarc of Dr. Mink Jayne A Eon did good ,orrice. The fleet water put upon the fire was through this medium, and the flames were kept in cheek by it until the arrival of the firemen with their oppstrAttior OUR FOREIGN EXPORTS.The Ship Crimea was cleared for Landon; on the 27th inst., in' 516444. Peter Wright and Sons, with the following cargo: 6,704 barrels flour • 16,6h8 bushels wheat, in bulk ; 1,400 bags oil coke; 4.8 'bales h Jps ; 400 tierces beef; 237 kegs but ter, 140bage cloverseed ; 30 casks quercitrou bark; 40 tierces pork; 10 Herm lard; 75 boxes' ham, and 24 boxes' tongues. The ship Holyhead was cleared for Liverpool, on the 2711, inst., by Messrs. Peter Wright and Song, with the following cargo ; 0,321 barrels flour; 0,000 bushels wheat, in bags; 20,331 bushels wheat, in bulk; 132 hhds. guercilron bark ; 456 tierces beef; 35 casks cinema ore 143 barrels pork; 211 boxes cheese ,* 39 bales rags; so tallow;14 Ude tallow oil; iSO burgle leaf lad; IL tierces leaf lard, and 37 boxes hems. The ship Philadelphia was cleared for Glasgow on the 24th inst., by Messrs. Thos. Richardson & Co., with the following cargo: 25;733 bushels wheat, 0,467' barrels flour, 66 hials. bark, and 24 hints. and 1 barni tallow. The ship Tuscarora, Dunlevy, for Liverpool, was cleared on Thursday by Messrs. Cope Bros., with the f. 41 ~fag carFo 34,050 t,q.91 PlB Wheat, 00 cori 9 42 bales rage, 8 cases machinery, and 15 cases niercluw- Oise. :The has 12 passenger*. Fhip Efrof q(ciffirr, c9llllll far idgmloal was cleared on balurday, by MeliBTE. Workman 6; Co., With a cargo of 22,359 bushels wheat, 0,091 barrels hour, and 670 bags cloverseed. NORRISTOWN AFFAIRS.—OR Friday morn ing, as Mr..lolmiteaton, freight conductor, on the morn ing train from this city, was coupling sonic cars on Scball's sideing, a rotten plank gave way, precipitating bini beneath the trestle work, a fall or tit; or eight fen Nviien the coupling chain descended upon hit leg fraCtur-. lug it below the knee. Bit injuries were ungraded to by Dr. Dunlap and he was removed to this city, where he resides. • Tn_utnrrau is lholitAt day sit Ali Old eau he paid to the borough trenaurer. A flee th-,t da‘ , the duplicate will be hooded over to the borough collector vitt' five per cent. added. The treaeurer.will be at hie office during to-day and to-morrow, and alll. those in ar-. rearn win enve money I.y attending to tAlcir kaxipit ri-ttk out further poetpettenient. The borough hue been completely thsnled by the miss-. ruble counterfeitit on the Formats' Batik of. Schuylkill. County, located at "%Murillo. They wore of tba denouti, nation of onea,.twoo, rust threes. These. spurious notes, !mete their oppeorunco in Norristewa, ehuultaueousir with their first agnearance in the citing. Joel Androw.s, Esq., has ibyt nted and. receivedat. neo tent for a new kind of gun or bayount.battery. Hulas finishid aaenall model, and ie now, at•work on ono. Olb a larger scale, Andrew, Roma mug ginenjuvoutad a plan Dr. Liming bricks with coal, which has auccooded very well.. age:101ov tie sanctity of a, Sabbath foernlngt sad the quiet vicinity of Twenty-eecoed nt , a Titttiket( streets to van enacted In OM lelitartlna ibronoon, onou; Ten o'clock, A couple or soma-cocks NW become mutually incensed at each. other a crowing, and per ceiving no amicable way ofltcliwding thin Wifeerence, they rebored tho matter ta the ll.god of hattins. 7 ? This was Particularly vatisfactory to the adjacent coiner loungers, who crow dell to the arena poll-moll, sad even some ?ions church-going people, who hashed to be passing at tin- time, halted io scan tto condict. And now tim contest had berenie exciting, is regard to the rising clouds of dust, and the flying of the feathere, and the . click, click of the spurs An the midst of the general. . guffaw, too ancient females appnared upon the ecee# ith broomsticks, and speedily effected a separation of the combneajts. —We ean at tout A yAITUPEL OVVACE II . bow of out , ufficer on our Pince force who Id befi Afield to &hie duly alai art rot interroilit mule ivatYre fur their fluid that itt ellicer No /7 of the Curpd. rte &lee net parley with the drivere, btu no t kes them tut-. bitch and haul their a ire tingly when overburthingi A driou curb edict re would noon rid eur Orate of daily eir= tobilione of cruelty. Next to wife hcatitiu in the orate of crime. COOITX UMW beattuv tho ASV may tat eNCllcititict the ioNond tower. 6.00 12.00
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers