sovereignty and the dignity of national character, but that she binds herself also to the strict and faithful observance of all those principles, laws and usages which have obtained currency among civilized states, and which have for their object the mitigation of the miseries of war. No community can be allowed to enjoy the benefit of national character in modern times without submitting to all the duties which that character imposes. A Christian, people, who exercise sovereign power, who make treaties, maintain diplomatic relations with other states, and who should yet refuse to conduct its military operations according to the usages universally observed by such states, would present a character singularly inconsistent and anomalous. This government will not hastily suppose that the Mexican republic will assume such a character. There is yet another very important element arising out of the facts of this case.

'

"It is asserted and believed that the surrender of some of the persons connected with the expedition was made upon specific terms, which were immediately violated by the local Mexican authorities. If there is one rule of the law of war more clear and peremptory than another, it is, that compacts between enemies, such as truces and capitulations, should be faithfully adhered to; and their non-observance is denounced as being manifestly at variance with the true interest and duty, not only of the immediate parties, but of all mankind. Consequently, if the surrender of the expedition, or any part of it, was conditional, the benefit of those con ditions must be insisted upon in favour of the captives. According to the statement of Messrs. Falconer and Van Ness, Mr. Kendall proceeded twe hundred miles in advance of the main body, and was taken with his com panions while they were displaying a flag of truce; and the persons who took them gave assurances that they should not be held as prisoners of war. Here, then, was a special immunity promised, but afterwards notoriously withheld, as we are bound to believe, in the present state of our information upon the subject. If, therefore, this government were not entitled to demand the release of Mr. Kendall on the ground of his having been a non-combatant and a neutral, it might require the government of Mexico to take care that the stipulations of its authorized agents to that effect be scrupulously fulfilled, and that on this account, those to whom the promise was made should be immediately released, according to that promise.

"In conclusion, I am directed by the president of the United States now to instruct you that, on the receipt of this dispatch, you inquire carefully and minutely into the circumstances of those persons who, having been taken near Santa Fe, and having claimed the interposition of this government, are still held as prisoners in Mexico, and you will then demand of the Mexican government the release of such of them as appear to have been innocent traders, travellers, invalids, men of letters, or for any other reasons justly esteemed non-combatants, being citizens of the United States. To this end it may be proper to direct the consul to proceed to the places where any of them may be confined, and to take their statements under oath, as also the statements of other persons to whom they may respectively refer. If the Mexican government deny facts upon which any of the persons claim their release, and desire time for further investigation of their respective cases, or any of them, proper and suitable time must be allowed; but if any of the persons described in the next preceding paragraph, and for whose relief you shall have made a demand, shall still be detained for the purpose of further inquiry or otherwise, you will then explicitly demand of the Mexican government, that they be treated thenceforward with all the lenity which, in the most favourable cases, belongs to the rights of prisoners of war, that they be not confined in loathsome dungeons, with malefactors and persons diseased, that they be not chained, or subjected to ignominy, or to any particular rigor in their

detention; that they be not obliged to labour on the public works, or put to any other hardship. You will state to the Mexican government that the government of the United States entertains a conviction that these persons ought to be set at liberty without delay; that it will feel great dissatisfaction if it shall learn that those whose cases have been already made the subject of an express demand, are still suffering," &c., &c.

After much delay, the prisoners named were set at liberty. Santa Anna, by an act of great clemency, shortly after, on the solemnization of his birth-day, released all of the Santa Fe prisoners. At that time there were fifty at the castle of Perote; one hundred and nineteen in the city of Mexico; and the remainder at Jalapa.

The United States' South Sea Exploring Expedition returned home in June and July of this year, having been absent since the 18th of August, 1838-nearly four years. Since leaving the United States, the combined squadron had navigated about four hundred thousand miles. The Vincennes, the vessel of Captain, Wilkes, sailed round the world, altogether a distance of seventy-one thousand miles, and returned in comparatively good order, without having met with any material accident. The brig Porpoise, Commander Ringgold, arrived in New-York on the 2d of July, having been absent three years and eleven months, and making according to log, ninety-five thousand miles. The ship Peacock was wrecked at the mouth of Columbia river, by running upon a shoal; but, happily, without a loss of life. She had sailed, prior to her destruction, sixty-two thousand miles, and was still in excellent order. Captain Hudson was the last man to leave his sinking ship, having taken from her such valuables as could be rescued hastily by means of such boats as could be got alongside. The shipwrecked crew received much attention from the gentlemanly British commander at Fort George, formerly Astoria, about twelve miles above the mouth of the river, and they were kindly cared for until the arrival of other vessels of the squadron to their relief. brig Oregon, which was substituted for the Peacock after this loss, arrived in Boston on the 1st of July, in command of Lieutenant Carr. The ship Clarendon, by way of Canton, arrived in New-York in June. The Flying-Fish, tender to the Vincennes, previous to her being sold at Singapore as unseaworthy, had made seventy-eight thousand six hundred and fortyeight miles.

The

The expedition thoroughly executed every part of the duties confided to it by the government. A very large number of ports, harbours, islands, reefs and shoals, were visited, examined and surveyed. Many charts of the South seas having been found erroneous, were carefully corrected. Several of the principal groups of islands in the Pacific Ocean were visited for the first time by the government vessels of this nation, and friendly relations established with the chiefs and natives of them The discoveries in the Antarctic Ocean-observations for fixing the south ern magnetic pole, &c., &c., preceded those of the French and English expeditions.

On one of the islands visited, the natives offered them worship, evidently believing them to have descended from the sun. On Mouna Loa, in the island of Hawaii, experiments were made with the pendulum at a height of fourteen thousand feet above the level of the sea. Topographical surOn one oc veys were also made of some of the most extensive craters. casion, while examining a group of the Fejee islands, the boats' crews were attacked, and two of their officers were killed-but no similar occurrence took place afterwards. A friendly Fejee chief, Vendovi, was brought to the United States, but he died shortly after his arrival. The Sooloo Sea was also explored, and a new and feasible route discovered for passing ́n that direction to China, thus guarding against the northeast

monsoon

On one of the islands, where they obtained specimens of minerals im bedded in igneous rock, there was no appearance of vegetation whatever yet it was so densely covered with penguins, which stoutly resisted their landing, that it was with difficulty they could force their way through

them.

The expedition also, during its absence, examined and surveyed a large portion of the Oregon territory, formerly but little known. The Columbia river was ascended one hundred and twenty miles to the cascades and falls. The philologist of the expedition, Mr. Hale, was left there for the purpose of prosecuting his inquiries at leisure, and returning by land. All the harbours of Oregon were visited and surveyed. A new and complete map of the country was prepared, embracing its rivers, sounds, coast, forts, &c., which will furnish the government with a mass of valuable information relative to its formerly but little known possessions on the northwest coast, and in the whole of that interesting region. An examination was also made of a part of Upper California, the Sacramento river, bay of San Francisco, with their various tributaries, &c., &c.

Those of the officers who were lost, were Lieutenant Underwood and Midshipman Henry, killed by savages at the Island of Mololo, one of the Fejee group, while bravely defending their men. Midshipmen Reid and Bacon, together with some thirteen others, in the Sea Gull, were probably capsized by a gale and lost, while attempting to round Cape Horn. A chaste obelisk in memory of these early dead, was erected by their companions, in Mount Auburn cemetery.

There died, in Washington, this year, Mrs. Letitia Tyler, wife of the president; also, Hon. Samuel L. Southard, of New-Jersey; also, Hon. J. Lawrence and D. Dimock, of Pa.; also, Senator Dixon, of R. I.; and Hon. L. Williams, of N. C., "the father of the House." In Baltimore, by explosion of the Medora, twenty-six persons were killed, and thirty-eight wounded. Died, in Maryland, Ex-governor Veazey. In New-Jersey, Gen. Rossel. In Vermont, Rev. Dr. Channing, of Boston. In Massachusetts, Maj. Lomax, U. S. A. At Groton, Ct., Capt. Avery, an officer under Col. Ledyard at the storming of Fort Griswold by the British. In New-London, Gen'l. Isham. At Fort Sullivan, S. C., Major Kirby. In Kentucky, Ex-governor Desha. In Georgia, Hon. W. R. Habersham. In Missouri, Gen. Atkinson; also, Major Floyd; also, Judge Lucas. At New-Orleans, l'Abbe Moni. In the Illinois house of assembly, Hon. Mr. Arndt, being shot in an altercation. In Virginia, Hon. W. S. Hastings, of Mass. At Pittsburgh, Capt. Butler, U. S. A. In Ohio, Judge Jolly, one of Morgan's riflemen in the revolution. At Philadelphia, Condy Raguet, formerly American chargé at Brazil. In New-York, Col. Cummings, U. S. A.; also, E70, Mrs. Blennerhasset, a name rendered enduring by the evil deeds of Burr and eloquence of Wirt. In Florida, Major Wilcox, U. S. A. In the Cherokee nation, Capt. Simonton, U. S. dragoons. In Texas, Chief-justice Moreland. In France, Gen. Fenwick, U. S. A.; also, the famous surgeon Baron Larrey, E 76; also, Admiral Baudin; also, the count de Las Cases, companion of Napoleon in banishment. At St. Petersburgh, Sir Robert Ker Porter, historical painter. In Smyrna, Capt. Voorhees, U. S. N. In Italy, M. de Sismondi, the historian; also, Capt. Hamilton, author of "Travels in America." In Ireland, John Banim, novelist ; also, Rev. Henry Maturin, author of "Bertram." In London, Gen. Shrapnell, inventor of the "shells" which bear his name; also, Ducrow, the equestrian. In France, the duke of Orleans, eldest son of Louis Philippe, being thrown from his barouche. In London, Sir Charles Bell, eminent as a surgeon; also, Viscount Coke, writer of jurisprudence. In Edinburgh. James Grahame, author of a "History of America." In London, John Harrison, grandson of the discoverer of the longitude, for which he was voted by government £20,000.

A. D. 1843.—On the reassembling of Congress, the principal subject of attention was still the establishment of an exchequer. Nothing that Congress could offer having found favour in the eyes of the president, it now became his turn to submit a plan. The Secretary of the Treasury accordingly laid before the House his project, approved by the heads of government-when it was rejected, by the strong vote of one hundred and ninety-three to eighteen. A treaty was negotiated between the executive authorities of the United States and certain Texian commissioners for the annexation of Texas-but this also was rejected by the Senate.

In July several changes occurred in the cabinet of the president, which was thus remodelled: Mr. A. P. Upshur, of Va., was made Secretary of State; John C. Spencer, of N. Y., Secretary of the Treasury; J. M. Porter, of Pa., Secretary of War; T. W. Gilmer, of Va., Secretary of the Navy; C. A. Wickliffe, of hy., Post-master General; J. Nelson, of Md., Attorney General.

Congress, before the close of its session, made two appropriations, which, for the honour of that body, deserve to be recorded. First, $30,000 for the purpose of establishing a line of telegraphs to Baltimore, under the direction of Professor Morse. This opened a new field of enterprize to the discerning men of the age, and we now see how incalculably advantageous the results of the system are not merely to this nation but to the race at large. Secondly, $40,000 to establish a special embassage to the Celestial Empire. Former remissness in regard to the trade of that region, had proved highly injurious to the true interests and dignity of the republic.

A melancholy event occurred in the American navy at the end of the last year; an incident without parallel, and one calculated to startle the sensibilities of the whole people. A son of the honourable Secretary of War was in the month of December hanged at the yard-arm of a vessel on board which he was a midshipman, for the alleged crime of a mutinous and piratical conspiracy. The name of the vessel was the Somers, a ten gun brig under the command of Lieutenant A. Slidell Mackenzie, and the crew consisted of a complement of fifteen petty officers and seamen with some seventy-odd naval apprentices. The vessel was new, and had been ordered to the coast of Africa on a trial cruize, to touch at Monrovia and return by the way of St. Thomas-and it was the design of the mutineers to seize her upon leaving the latter point, murder the officers, and at once supplant the national colours with a flag bearing the skull and cross-bones. Thirteen of the crew, it was said, had taken an oath of conspiracy, and were determined to act upon the ground that "dead men tell no tales"-slaying all they might capture, save women, whom they were to preserve for themselves.

The plot was nearly ripe for execution, when the purser's steward, to whom the horrid design had been partly revealed, betrayed it. Midshipman Philip Spencer, a youth of nineteen, was represented as the originator and head of the infernal scheme; and upon being confronted with his accuser, he admitted the charge brought against him, but asserted that what he had said was "all in a joke." Upon a further inquiry into the strange affair, however, a paper written in cypher was found, separating the crew-and other evidences that it was like to have proved a matter much too solemn for a joke. Other parties implicated were examined rigorously, and sufficient cause found to warrant the detention in double irons of three persons, namely, a midshipman and two sailors, the one holding the authoritative position of master-at-arms, and the other master of the top. After this, a spirit of insubordination seeming to be manifested in the crew, upon deliberation with the balance of his officers, the com mander of the vessel determined upon the extremity of executing the supposed ringleaders of the mutiny in his ship. After this, it was said

the men returned to their duty with accustomed alacrity. Commander Mackenzie, upon his arrival in New-York, was tried by a court-martial, at much length, for this act of speedy retribution, and was finally exone. rated from all blame.

The Rhode-Island "rebellion," so called, now comes to be considered. It appears, that some time previous to this, a convention of inhabitants in that state met and framed a new constitution, materially different from the one under which the government of the state was then administered. The principal grievance complained of was the extremely limited and arbitrary nature of the laws relative to the right of suffrage-from which circumstance the favourers of the new constitution were denominated "free suffrage" men, while their opponents assumed the name of the "law and order" party. At the election for state officers in 1842, two governors and two sets of legislative officers were voted for and were declared duly elected under the two opposing constitutions. Thomas W. Dorr was pronounced governor by the revolutionists, while Samuel W. King was proclaimed the same by the regular authorities under the old and unrepealed charter of King Charles. Both parties prepared to maintain their claims by force of arms, and the entire state became a scene of confusion and uproar.

7

In this exigency, the president of the Union was appealed to, and he de cided that the "law and order" men were right. The Dorrites were declared traitors, inasmuch as their initiatory measures had been unauthorized, and all their primary assemblies informal and consequently illegal. Both parties now began to arm themselves, and a civil war seemed inevitable. The legally-constituted authorities called for aid from the general government, and troops were ordered to their assistance. The new-constitutionists made an attempt on the state arsenal, but were beaten off; whereupon Dorr appealed for assistance to the friends of liberty everywhere, and many marched to join his standard. Shortly after, he took possession of a hill at a place called Chepachet, where he mounted five pieces of cannon, and mustered about him some seven hundred men. Thereupon, martial law was proclaimed in the state by the legal govern ment, and a force of three thousand militia under General M'Neil was or dered to "disperse the rebels." This was done; on the approach of the regulars, Dorr and his party fled, without firing a gun; only one man was killed during the whole course of the disturbance.

After two years' absence from the state, Mr. Dorr returned to Rhode Island, and was there tried and convicted of treason, and sentenced to the state's prison for life. This sentence, however, the governor of the state signified his readiness to revoke whenever the pseudo-governor should acknowledge his allegiance to the existing government-which now rests upon a new constitution, legally formed and adopted by the people of the state since the commencement of difficulties there, and which makes the right of suffrage as extensive as in that constitution which was preferred by the insurgents, except that two years' residence in the state is required instead of one. Mr. Dorr at first stoutly refused to do anything of the kind, and was placed in durance; but his health giving way, he was fi nally induced to subscribe to the oath, and was set at liberty.

Much has been said of American "repudiation." Those delinquent states who from extravagance or mismanagement of some sort, found themselves unable to pay the interest on their bonds, have certainly suffered much, and justly, from the storms of objurgation and reproach which have been poured down like thick hail upon their exposed heads. A perusal of the annexed portion of a letter penned by a great statesman of this nation, will, however, throw some small glimmering of light upon the dark subject. If, indeed, as we may be allowed to hope, the disabilities of the repudiators have been forced upon them by the unavoidable exigencies of