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Of one tiling I am well satisfied, that all the' feelings ot the administration are on the side of the Spanish Patriots, and that if they do.ii'dfc.ngfo aid them in their struggle they talc pede their efforts in a cause so sacred to every American. Many men here for whose virtue and patriotism I have the greatest respect, some of them niy own personal friends, differ with me essentially on this question. They consider that the minister here ought at once tube acknow ledged. Hut, is it necessary for the government this at present ? As a mere agent, our ^courts are open to their minister, and under that character he can perform every function essen tial to the interest of those he represents. Even correspondence with the government is not deni ed him—and 1 know it to be a fact that lie has recently sent in several communications. If then lie can communicate with the government and has free access to our courts, shall we for the mere ceremony of recognising him as minister, create new difficulties in our negotiation with Spain ? At any rate, is it not a better course to suspend this subject until the return of our com missioners ? The other question, the capture of Amelia Island, is one of more difficulty. The law pass ed in secret session, and which has been recent ly printed, did not. in my opinion, authorize its occupation. Of this, however, you are as well able to judge as myself.—The law was pass ed at a time when it was considered probable that the British government might take possession of Florida. The United States having claims to a great amount against Spain, and anxious, too, to possess the Floridas, did not wish them to pass into the hands of a foreign government. 'Whatever construction the law may admit of, this was its real object. Was it in danger of passing into the hands of a foreign government at the time the executive issued orders for taking possession ? Can the association at Galvczton, formed with forty or fifty persons, most of them seamen, with a bankrupt auctioneer at their head, come under the denomination of a foreign govern ment ? Amelia Island was wrested from Spain by American citizens. McGregor derived his authority from the minister from some one of the Mexican provinces at this place; a minister not recognized or acknowledged by the American government, and whose authority, even if ac knowledged, could not extend to cases of war ami peace, and particularly to the issuing and granting military commissions, which is in all countries a portion of the sovereignty, either specially delegated to those who exercise it, or vested in the supreme executive authority. The commissions issued by Genet, a minister recog nized by our country, and in the full exercise of all the powers attached to the station, were con sidered null and void on this ground. The executive, too, in the public communica tion to Congress, considers the persons occupy ing Amelia Island as not authorised by any exist ing government, and of course not a foreign pow er as contemplated by the law. If these people come under the denomination of a foreign power, then the law justifies the course pursued.—If, on the. contrary, they are American citizens, the seizure by the United States, in consequence of such an occupation, would be considered as a mere pretext to get into our possession a territo ry which it would be convenient for us to pos sess. The ground at first taken by the executive when Russian povvwjiad approached tn Persia, India ami China. The English must regard these events .more seriously, as they inform us that French officers had been kindly received at the court of Persia, though nothing had appeared unfriendly to the British interest, and the king Imd apologised as he could not be permitted to take British officers into his pay.—Esse.v tiepin. CONGRESS. IN SENATE. Monday, February 2. On motion by Mr. Campbell, the committee of Finance were discharged from the further con sideration of the message of the president, re jecting the claim of the heirs of Caron de Beau- 1 Hiarchais, and it was referred to a select com mittee, consisting of Messrs. King, Macon, Campbell, Barbour and Daggett. Mr. Burrill submitted tlie following motion for consideration : “ Resolved, tiiat the commit tee of public lands be instructed to report a bill for extending, for the term of nine months, from the first day of March, A. D. 1818, the time tnhtcd for exhibition of claims for certain land warrants, described in the act, entitled ,l An act further extending the time for issuing and locat ing military land warrants, and for other purpo ses, v passed April 16,1816. Mr. Campbell offered instructions from the legislature of the state of Tennessee to their Senators, to use their exertions to procure the passage of an amendment to the constitution of the United States, relative to the compensation ofAleihbers of Congress; and moved that they be received and read; but, on motion the further consideration thereof was postponed until to-mor row. [This is a matter on which the practice of the Senate is not settled ; the propriety of re ceiving such instructions formally by the Senate, and entering them on record, having been a sub ject of contestation heretofore, and never con clusively decided.] Mr. Storer submitted for consideration the fol lowing resolution : “ Resolved, that the presi dent of the United States be requested to cause a statement of the progress made under the act to provide for surveying the coasts of the United States, passed February 10, 180", andjany sub sequent acts on the same subject, to be laid be fore Congress. ^jljjmSeiiate resumed the consideration of the n!™% appropriation bill, and agreed thereto, with several amendments ; one of which appro priates 20,000 dollars for brevet extra pay to bre vet officers on separate commands. [The bill in the other house contained an appropriation of 3.5,000 for the same object ; which was there struck out of the bill, and is now reinstated in part by the senate.] The bill, as amended, was ordered to be read a third time. Mr. Williams of Mississippi submitted the fol lowing resolution : “ Resolved, that the commit tee on the public lands be instructed to enquire into the expediency of providing by law for the reservation of such tracts of land within the se veral land destricts of the United States, as may in the opinron of the president be suitable sites for the laying out and establishing towns j and for the sale of the lots therein.” Thursday, February 5. The senate resumed the consideration of the mode of disposing of the instructions from the legislature of Tennessee to its senators and re presentatives ; and considerable debate took mendinents of the senate to the bill for establish ing additional, laud offices in the territory of Missouri, reported tiic same with other amend ments—which were agreed td by the house, and sent to the s$na4e. The motion submitted yesterday by Mr. For syth, was taken up and agreed to as follows:— “ Resolved', that the committee ot ways and means bfe instructed to enquire whether the hank of the IJ. S, is authorised by its charter to receive as pledge or Beciirity for loans made to individuals or corporations,,transfers of public debt made to the bank, or to any officers thereof, and it, in their opinion, such transfers are not authorised by the act of incorporation, to report to the house some effectual mode of preventing them from being hereafter made. Thursday, February 5. Gen. St. Clair's case.—The house resumed in committee of the whole, the consideration of the bill for the relief of Major General Arthur St. Clair. After some further debate, the question was taken on Mr. Forsyth’s motion to refer the settlement of the claim to (he treasury depart ment, and negatived by a large majority. Mr. Clay then, after offering his reasons, mov ed an amendment to the bill, providing for plac ing Gen. St. Clair on the pension list, and allow ing him an annual pension of dollars, ami moved to fill the blank with SG00. Mr. II arrison moved to fill the blank with the sum of 1000, which, after two counts, was car ried—Byes 80, noes 73. The question was taken on Mr. Clay’s amend ment, with the blank thus filled, and negatived, ayes 68, noes 80. Mr. T aylorofN. Y. then moved an amend ment directing the secretary of war to place general St. Clair on the pension list, at the rate of dollars per month, payable as other pen sions are. Mr. Harrison moved toinsert, before the clause directing the annual pension, a provision for pay ing to General St. Clair the sum of 4336 dollars in full of his claim against the government. This motion was negatived, aves 61, noes 88; and, the question recurring on Mr. Taylor’s motion. Mr. Palmer moved to fill the blank with fifty dollars as the monthly pension. Mr. Terry moved 80, which was negatived, ayes G8, noes 78. Mr. Storrs proposed ? } T3 per month, which was also negatived, ayes 67. Mr. liar rison moved the sum of 70, which was also lost, ayes 71, noes 77 ; and the sum of 60 was eventually agreed to—75 to 71 : and, thus a- mended, Mr.Taylor’s amendment was adopted by a large majority ; after an unsuccessful motion by Mr. Livermore, to make the pension commence on The pretended Dauphin. of France.~^\ u following are some curious facts respectin'!- the person assuming the name of the Dauphin, who is now in prison at Rouen :—“ He is a y (Hni „ man of about four or five and thirty, handsome deportment, and well informed. lie has beea now a prisoner two years, during which period he has been sent before two courts for trial as an impostor, and both these courts declared them selves incompetent to take cognizance of this crime. Before one of these courts lie was del sired by the president to uncover himself. The Dauphin haughtily replied—“ Depuis qiiund est ce qu'an monarque- se decouvre devant ces sip jets.” He declares he can prove he is what he assumes, rad demands to be taken to the final- leries, and when there, lie will indicate places where, when young, lie concealed several thin"-, which lie will there name, and describe must minutely ; and says he, when “ la Heine ma mere etait en prison au temple,” she with a sharp instrument, made a curious mark on the back of his neck, (which he shews) and with the same instrument, she at the same time made a similar one upon that of the dutchess his sister; that when young and playing with his sister, he with a knife accidently stabbed her in the body the mark of which remained, and he will if con- Irented with her, describe the very spot where it is. The Sahotier said to be his father, beiti» called into court, was asked if that was his son? He answered yes. The mother being called ia and asked the same question, said no, and that she had never seen the man before. The daugh ter corroborated her mother, and said she had never seen him, and that he was not at ail like her brother. He says, that some years ago, not knowing how to escape out ot France, lie boldly told Bonaparte who he was ; that he did not want to reign, and only wished for a sale escort out of the country. Bonaparte, adds he the 4th of July instead of March—the committee I na,nRt * 0I1R of his ministers, who is now living. whom was referred the remonstrance of ma - general Andrew Jackson, as one of the sentatives of John Donelson, praying for tl i lowance of a certain quantity of land the state of Georgia out of the land ceded bv tl * state to the United States, at a period long ant rior to said cession, reported a bill “ f 0P f|, e k e ’ efit of Thomas Carr and otherswhich w,, twice read and committed. The speaker laid before the house the annuT report ol the Commissioners of the Sinking V u „i (the President of the Senate, the Chief Justice"f the V. S. the Secretary of (he Treasury and till Attorney General.) [The amount of (he nM\. debtton the first day of the present year Jtan.U at dolls. 99,004,800 31 100.] FOREiGN. that these persons did not derive their authority | place on the following motion, submitted by Mr. from anv existing government, is the only onej Lampbcll : ‘[Resolved, that the amendment to on wliicfi the course pursued can be justified, ami - fl' e constitution ot the u nited States, proposed that will not sustain them in holding Amelia 1st- j «•« legislature of i eunessee, and the instruc- arni.—1 consider the administration as actuated I tlons t° o* e senators and representatives of that by a sincere desire to preserve peace, and believ ing that more interesting to this country than tlie acquisition of any territory, I shall not he disposed to add to their difficulties, but cordial ly co-operate in every measure calculated to se cure a blessing, the value of which ought not to be hazarded unless war should become necessary to maintain our own acknowledged rights. In the present state of the world, a nation capable of maintaining ifs own liberty ought to be satis fied, and leave to offers tlie task of deferJing their own rights, and fighting their own battles. VIEWS OF RUSSIA IN TIIE EAST. The object of the Russian embassy in •”ersia. is declai ed in Europe to be commerce, and the appointment would have nothing extraordinary in it in common times. It is now acknowledged that it is not in Persia only, tlie object is to be found. From this legation, ministers are to be despatched to all the princes whose possessions lay between Persia and the British possessions in India. And it is already known that tlie em peror of Russia is to have a minister in China, by consent between the two emperors, and com merce is the piofessed object of this new ar rangement. When we consider tlie divided state of Persia, and the growing power of Iton- jeet Sing, in the com tries between Persia and British India, we cannot be surprised if remote consequences are considered, especially when we know the commercial jealousies between the British and Chinese empires. We readily turn to the views of these events in India, and though no persons can be authorised to explain them, yet we sufficiently discover that they are not un noticed and unexamined. From Bushire, on tlie Persian gulf, a letter appears which represents tin* Russian court, as employing every art to conciliate the Persian nobility, ’ state accompanying the same, be received and entered on the journals.” The objection to this proposition was, that the wishes of tlie stale of Tennessee were not ad dressed to tiie senate ; and that tlie senate had no concern with the instructions of any state to par ticular members ot that body. In reply to which argument, it was said, that the object of propo sing an amendment to tlie constitution, was to bring it to tlie attention of congress, ami that it could not be presented to congress, as the act of that state, in any other manner than that now proposed. The question was finally decided by yeas and nays, as follows :—Yeas i9—Nays 14. attention to tlie nobility left no doubt of the real purpose at court. The heir to the ctaivvn is represented as having the apprehensions be longing to real danger, and as contemplating the necessity of war, after all the disaster* which had attended it. But whatever might be the fears or purposes of the Persian court, was believed that the embassador would be n* ceived with the greatest pump, and that since h» had entered Persia, every tiling was conducted with tlie greatest ceremony, and at the last date* the Russian minister had approached Tehran* the residence of the court. The jealousies of the court were felt even by the people. Wt must expect such accounts, when the state ofi the enst seems prepared for serious changes. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Monday, February 2. On motion of Mr. Robertson of I,, it was “ resolved, that tlie secretary of the treasury cause to be laid before the house the reports of the several boards of commissioners appointed for the settlement and adjustment of land claims in the state of Louisiana & territory of Missouri. The house by a small majority resolved itself into a committee of the whole, Mr. Desha in the chair, on the bill for the relief ol General Arthur St. Clair. This bill gave rise to a discussion which occupied the committee until sun set, the course of which the motives of the act of 1810, for the relief general St.Clair, the act of limitations, tiie merits of the petitioner, the jus tice of his claim, &c. were all brought into view, as well as tlie propriety of various amendments offered to the bill. A motion, made by Mr. Forsyth, to amend the bill by directing the accounting officers of tlie treasury to adjust tlie claims of Gen. St. Clair, and allow him the principal and interest ot what ever amount may appear to be due, any law to xvTiile the greater j the contratry notwitstanding, was under consi deration, when the committee rose, and obtained leave to sit again. Tuesday, February 3. Gen. St. Clair's clui/n.—Tiie house resumed tlie unfinished business of yesterday, and again went into committee of the whole on the bill for the relief Gen. Aithur St. Clair. The- debate on the merits of this case, and the propriety of Mr. Forsyth’s amendment, was resumed and continued with increased ardor and unusual elo quence, until 4 o’clock, when the committee rose, and by the casting vote of the chairman, obtained leave to sit again. Wednesday, February 4. Mr. Robertson of L. from tlie committee on Public Lands, to whom had been referred the a- of the whole then rose, and reported the bill amended, to the house. Tlie house having taken up tlie report of the committee of the whole ; Mr. Taylor of N. Y. moved to strike out tlie 60 as the amount of the proposed monthly pension and to insert 50. This motion was decided by yeas and nays in tlie negative—yeas 73, nays 90. Mr. Mercer then proposed an amendment, pro vitling that Gen. St. Clair should receive for the remainder of his life the half of (lie full pay at tached to the rank which he filled in tlie army, at the close of the revolutionary war; and also pro posed, as a part of the amendment, a preamble ti the bill, expressive of the high sense entertained by congress of the virtue and services, &c general St. Clair. This motion not being in or der unless previously considered in a committee of the whole ; Mr. Mercer, to attain his object, moved tii re-commitineut of the bill to a committee of the whole house ; which motion was rejected by a large majority, and tlie amendment with it* of course. Mr. Harrison made an unsuccessful attempt to revive the motion made in committee by Mr. Clay —and tlie question was then taken on concurring with the report of the committee of tlie whole, granting a pension of sixty dollars a month, and decided in the affirmative, as follows:—Yeas 122, Nays 40. Mr. Mercer then moved tiie fallowing amend ment, by way of preamble : “ Whereas tlie con gress of* the United States entertain a high sense of the tried integrity, as xvelTas of the civil and military virtue of Arthur St. Clair, late Presi dent, of the congress and commander in chief of the army of the United States, whom they leSrn, with regret, has been reduced, by misfor tune, to extreme poverty.” This motion was negatived—ayes 61, noes 81 ; and tlie hill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time to morrow. Friday, February 6. Mr. Southard, from the committee on Indian Affairs, to whom was referred the Senate’s bill directing tlie manner of appointing Indian agents, •.nd continuing the act for establishing trading houses with tlie Indian tribes, reported the same without amendment; and it was referred to the committee of the whole to whom was referred a hill previously from the same committee respec ting the civilization and education of Indians. On motion of Mr. Barbour of Va. the commit tee of ways and means were instructed to in quire into tiie expediency of authorising the president to distribute an additional sum a inongst the assessors of tlie United States,fur ex tra services. The engrossed bill for the relief of major-gen eral Arthur St. Clair, was read a third time, pass ed and sent to the senate for concurrence. Monday, February 9. Mr. Newton reported u bill " to increase the duties on iron in bars and bolts, iron in p : gs, castings, nails and alum; and to disallow the drawback on duties on the exportation of gun powder. [The duties to he substituted for those now existing are, on iron pigs, fifty cents per hundredweight; on iron castings 75 cents per hundred weight; on nails 4 cents per pound ; on iron in bars and bolts excepting iron manufactur ed by rolling, one dollar per hundred weight; and on alum, R2 per hundred weight.] This bill was twice read and committed. , Mr. Claiborne, from the select committee to and he saw me safe to the frontiers ; this person is living, and lie will name him, in order that lie may identify him for the man he escorted out ot France. It is strange that during the numer‘ ous interrogations lie has Imd, lie has never ut- teied a word to commit LiniseiI. People seem to think there is much mystery in it, for if there was not reason to suppose him what he pretends to he, he would long before this have been tried and sent to the gullies. It is said that he has a strong party in this country. It has been well, ascertained, that the person poisoned was not tlie Dauphin. The surgeon who inspected (he body* ol the child given out for tlie Dauphin, asserted it w as not, and for so doing he was found poison ed himself in his bed the next morning. This young man has travelled a great deal, and has been received at most of the couits in Europe.” Spanish Regulation.—Copy of a letter from the American Consul at Malaga, to the American Consul at Gibraltar,—Malaga, 12th, Nov. 1317. “ Sir—The Governor of this place has official ly communicated to me that all Ainricau vessels calling in at the Ports of Spain, will, hencefor ward, be subject to a Nav "•.tion Duty, as it is called, ol one dollar jfer ton. None are tu be exempted, those that arrive from other Ports ia Spain, (where the duty has already been paid,) wiiidbound, that come to anchor in our bay, and even vessels forced by stress of weather, will be called on for the amount, according to the inter pretation of the order by our Captain of the Port, who is charged with its execution. But, no charge will be made of the tonnage duty, visit or admission to pratique, anchorage, or light duty, and cleaning the mole, or fur the Tariff’d light for merly exacted, these items being now all inclu- led in the above mentioned Navigation Duty. ‘‘ As so many of our vessels call in at your am t, with the intention of proceeding to the ports in Spain, I have considered it proper to pass to you the information, that the Captains may he made acquainted with this new regula tion, and. in consequence, act its they consider most conducive to their advantage. Your’s truly, ‘ xvji. kiuRpatiuck. Ukase—Addressed to the Legislative Synod at Moscow, by Alexander, Emperor of Russia, dated from Moscow Oct. 27, 1817. “ During my late travels through the provinces, I was o- bligcd, to in v no small regret, to listen to speeches pronounced by certain of tlie clergy in different parts, which contained unbecoming praises of nic —praises which can only be ascribed unto (iod. As I am convinced in the depth of my heart of the Christian truth, that every blessing lloweili unto us through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ alone, and that every man, be lie whom be may, without Christ, is full only of evil; there fore to ascribe unto me tlie glory of deeds,in which the hand of God hath been so evidently manifested before the whole world, is to give un to men that giory which belongeth unto Almighty God alone. I account it my duty, therefore, to forbid all such unbecoming expressions of praise, and recommend to the holy synod to give instruc tions to all the diocesan bishops, that they them selves, and the clergy under them, may, on simi lar occasions, in future, refrain from all sucli ex* pressions of praise, so disagreeable to my ears; and that they may render unto the Lord of Hosts aior.c, thanksgiv ings for the blessings bestowed