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From the Richmo.nl Khquircr. Interesting proceedings at Ear- 1 risburG. The following Idler with which \vc have ; been favored by Mr. Buchanan,so complete ly exhausts the merits of the contioversv, which agitates the keystone slate, and ex cites an intense interest in tire whole com munity, that it is almost idle for us to add another word upon the subject. The Whigs of the county of Philadelphia are attempting to usurp eight seats in the H. of It, and two in the Senate, to which they have no shadow of claim. The Democratic members were elected by a majority of the people, whether ihe vote of the Northern Liberties be re ceived or rejected in the count —and the re turn in their favor is made by a majority of the Judges, 10 out of 17 —and yet sa out* rageous is tire design of the Whigs, that they have suppressed that return, and are attempt ing to foist in their own members, upon a minority of the votes. nnJ in utter prostitu tion of the great principle of the republic, the will of the majority of the people. It is sincerely hoped, however, that the whole matter will be compromised, without bloodshed, and without casting any further reproach upon the noble escutcheon of Penn sylvania, or the elevated character of repub lican government. Wa srrriraTO?r, D*c. 7, 1833. T<j the Editor of the Enquirer : Mr UK hr Sir — l I nave this moment re ceived yours of yesterday, arid hasten to an swer votir eiKj-Jti ;es respecting * the keystone state.’ I can readily conceive that her pre sent condition most occasion anxiety and c.-’rm in her sister states; an I they must be all cause of the evolutions y movement* at Harrisburg. ‘At the general e’rc* n, n tin- second Tuesday of October lust, t'vo U lorratK! Senators, and eight Dens rcratic it p , n,a fives Were elected over their Whig compete tors by S dear majority of roe people of the county of Philadelphia, hi ail the 17 Election Districts into which that county is divided, C. Brown, the highest Democratic .candidate f’r the Senate, received 10.036 votes, anti W. \\ ntfocr, the h .-h *s: W hig candidate for the name office, received 9,490 votes, leaving an undisputed majority of 54f3 votes in favor of Mr. Bro . The majority of Mr. St venson, the o .v Can dida fe, over Mr. Wagner, was 520 votes. Oa the ticket for Representatives, the lowest of the eight Democratic candidates received a majority of 335 votes over the highest Whig candidate. And vet, strange as it may ap pear, all the tun nit ar.d the outrage at Ifari'i.sborg. h • ve cn attempt oi liie two defeated Whig candidates for the Senate, and the eight defeated vVhig candid ates flu* the House, to seize and occupy the seats of those who have been elected by a majority of the people. ‘You will naturally ask, how any difficulty could have arisen in n case so plain ? I shall proceed to tell von, but it will first be neces sary to furnish you a brief statement of the election laws of Pennsylvania, so far as they relate to the return of Senators and. Repre sentatives from the county of Philadelphia, j ‘ln this county, there are seventeen elec- i <ior Districts, and, consequently, seventeen | return Judges, being one from each District. | Si u !h P duty of these Judges to meet at the ; State House, m 0.,. pity of Philadelphia, on j the first Friday succeeding me Geneva) Flec tion, and to sscertain from the returns of all the Districts the persons elected Senators and Representatives. Having performed this duty, they are then bound to make duplicate I general returns of the whole election ; one of) which is to be deposited in the Pmthonota ry’s office, at Philadelphia ; and the other, so | far as it relates to the election of Senators, j having been first enclosed, sealed and ad dressed to the Senate, is then, under a second sealed cover, directed to the Secretary of the ) Commonwealth, to be placed bv the return | Judges, ‘ in nne of the nearest Post Offices.” j A similar r.ourne is to hi* in regsrJ . to that portion of the general return which \ relates to the election of members of the I House, except that is to be directed to the : House of Representatives. Toe return i Judges are, also, required to transmit to each of the persons elected Senators or Repre sentatives a certificate of his election. This is the sum and substance of the law. ‘ln obedience to the law, all the seven teen return judges of the county of Philadel phia met at the State House on the first Fri day after the general election, for the pur pose of performing their duty. A question j was raised before these assembled Judges, I whether the return of the votes in the North- j ern Liberties should be received. After in- j vestigating the alleged frauds and irregulari-’ tics in this district, it was decided, bv a ma- j joritv of ten to seven, that this return should be rejected. Whether this decision be right or wrong, it cannot affect the election of the Democratic Senators and Representatives to the sta'e Legis’ature. In either alternative, they have been elected by a decided majo rity of the people. By rejecting the district of the Northern Liberties, their majority is increased from some five to fifteen hundred votes. ‘The Return Judges, having ascertained that the two Democratic Senators, and the eight Democratic members of the House, had ; been duly elected, tl en prepared duplicate returns of the election, according to the Act i of Assembly, which were signed by ten of; their number. One of these returns was de- 1 posited in the Protiionofnry’s office, at Pliila-; delphin, and the other was transmitted to and received bv the Secretary of the Common wealth. A regular notice was sent to each ‘ of trie successful candidates for the Senate | and (lie House, of his election ; and here their duty ended. It will thus be perceived, lhat j the Democratic Senators and Representatives j elect were regularly returned as elected, by ;t majority of the Return Judges, according to the requisitions of the law. ‘ After the Return Judges had completed their ‘ si mess and adjourned, sixol the whole muni of seventeen retired to another room • in tht State House, and then and there pre- ; pared *nd signed, in conjunction with the Re turn and idge from the city of Philadelphia, a return of the votes p lied in seven only of the ! seventeen election Districts of the county oi Phi uielphia. No objection wl.atever liad ; bee: made; certainly no testimony had been; offered to impair the validity of the elecffon in anv on • of the other (en disfranchised Dis tricts ; hut it was necessary to exclude the votes in ll ese ten Districts, in order to furnish a pretext for the minority to usurp the rights of the majority. The only reason which I i avr m or beared assigned for tins attempted viola of the rights of the people, was. that rts a ma jority of the Return Judges had ex- i t , j the votes of the district of the Northern Liber; 1 -.and thereby had returned Mr Ingcr-, R( e; j jjv elected to Congress, therefore the i minority dfjhe Judges were justified in ex-; j;., /‘he votes of these ten Districts, nnd i ■J..,, re:orning the defeated Whig candidates, ! n j • : i-ied to the Senate ana the House cf R -prcsonfaiivcs. ; It Is scarcely necessary to slate that, in oi'fuv, tills minority return, signed by [■ . j ... ‘,_f CR when it is a notorious fact that ji.. ,-ore, nnd from the Acts of Assembly tliatVvr’.? must be, seventeen judges in the c ,„iniv :f Philadelphia, was a perfect nu.niy; •H .! i.vru ever continue such, until it can be ” .it'tblidicd that the minority shall rub the V'r \ minority return was delivered to the 1 bv him sent by express on a steam eng n to the Secretary of wea! hail was received at ins pmae be, ore t j ie y” •a! majority return had arrived. 1 sta n- facts. | * Shortly after the election, a rumor exten sively prevailed that the Whigs intended, if | possible, to force into the Legislature, as sit ting members, their leu rejected candidates from the county of Philadelphia; and, by ’ their votes, before they could he removed by ! contesting their election, to pass laws, to elect the canal commissioners, the U. S. Senator and other officers, and to govern the State in | direct violation of the legally dec.ared will o! a maioritv o.’ the people. I did not believe ! the rumor; and thought that the minority : return had proceeded from the excitement ■ at:d exasperalion which defeat often produces alter a hotly contested election, and tunt \\e I should hear no more of it. Besides, I culd r.ot then imagine, that such a palpate and daring usurpation of the most sacred rights, not only of (lie electors of the county of Phil adelphia, but of the Commonwealth at large, would be attempted. In this, it appears, I j have lx .-a mistaken. | ‘ Bi.-inre and at the time of the meeting of j the Legislature, there were, in the office of j ! the Secretary of the Commonwealth, the mi nority return lioai the county of Philadelphia; and “duplicates of the majority return, one transmitted through the Sheriff'as the minor | it•/ return had and the other through the Post Office, which is the only legal ehait- I ad. Now, Sir, in answer to your question, I lean inform you that the sole cause of all the j disturbances at Harrisburg is, that this officer took upon himself the fearful responsibility of i“‘tkltO’ J: ,r from the Senate and the House of< H • tu-es the returns of the majority of \ ■ tit Judges of the county of Philadelphia which had b< r-n directed to time Bodies respectively, : and and. live red to them the minority returns only. Had he delivered all these returns, as was ci a y ids duty, the Legislature would have : organ;/..':; in pjce. The Whig tuembets t Cuii'd m l ila'ii have contended, as they have ione, !hat ‘ minority returns, delivered l>y •lie S : iry to r ■ Senate and the House, we :.- *: evidence of election which •o : them in the first instance, • of the tight, of the de , r< , . ates to become the sitting j {j u , it It is m this principle, and this a j ( ie, ; t tig;, ive proceeded to forma rt olutio.. >ry llon ;e of Representatives, con- Isi hug of oily fj-.M regularly elected Whig j members, and the ight rejected Whig Can didate. of the com y of Philadelphia. * Li defence of the Secretary, it has been said, that .a.> h 3 received the minority re ! turn, it. was his doty to consider it the only j legal return, and to withhold all those which came after. T would make the political rights of the of Pennsylvania to de pend upon the i tof a race. If this were the law, defeated candidates might always seize the seats of the Senators and Repre sentatives elected by the people; provided j they could obtain a false return from a mi nority of the Return Judges, and command the fleetest courser or the swiftest locomotive. Indeed, in every instance, they could deliver their returns first, by express, to the Secreta ry of the Commonwealth; because the law requires the regular return to he transmitted : through ihe Post Office, by due course of mail. ‘But there is no pretext in the law for this ! defence of tiic conduct of the Secretary. In ; regard to these election returns, he is a mere | depository; and his whole duty is pet formed ; by delivering, at the appropriate time, all such as lie may have received, to tke proper officer of the Senate and the House, respect tivcly. If the law bad assigned him any other part than that of a mere ministerial agent, it would have been an outrage on popular Go vernment. To confer upon the chief Exec utive officer of the Governor, dependent up on his will, any power whatever to decide, cither first or last, on the validity of election returns of members of the Legislature, would be to place the Legislative Branch of (he Go vernment under the control of the Executive. I ins would violate one of the essential and fundamental principles of Republican liberty. 1 The Secre tarv, so far from say t | power to withhold a sealed return, directed I to the Senate or the House, has no right even I to know its contents, because the law requires ! that it shall be first sealed up and addressed I to the Senate or the House, and afterwards he placed under a second sealed cover and directed to him. In delivering such papers according to their direction, lie is but a mere ministerial, not a judicial officer. But even if lie were constituted a judge, what law has established it as the rule of his decision, that he shall dec : are the first paper in the form of ] a return which he may have received, wheth er through the legal channel or not, to be ab solute verity; and any return which may j arrive afterwards, to be so perfect a nullity as ! to justify him in withholding it from the Clerk lof the Senate or of the House. If he were j a judge in this question, it would he his duty to exercise judicial discretion; and then lie would be bound to declare, that a return made by six cut oi’ seventeen judges was a mete nullity ; because it was signed by a mi nority of the whole number. But the law confers upon him no such authority, it imposes no sucii responsibility. The line of his duty was clearly marked. He ought to have delivered to the clerks of the respective houses all the returns which were directed to these bodies, and fie would then have performed his office. As it. is, Ins con I duct :n delivering the minority return to the j clerks and withholding that of the majority, ! is a revolutionary and direct invasion of the dearest rights of the people by the E.xccu- I live branch of tiie Government. What is the known and acknowledged remedy for such a daring usurpation of popular rights by ; Executive power, let the history of all free | Governments—let the most approved au- I thors on the subject of civil Jiberty, answer ! the question. ‘ But fortunately, no occasion exists for re isorting to extreme measures; and i should Ibe the .ast man in (lie country who would ’ advocate them, unless in a case of absolute land unconiiolahb necessity. Bite law has | made ample provision to remedy any defect |of evidence arising from the withholding of ; the official return by the Secretary. If any I such return, sent to him through the Post I Office, he either lost nr destroyed, or, as upon j the present occasion, be suppressed and with ’ held, there is another original in existence, in die Piothonotary’s office, of the proper coun ; tv. A certified copy of this original from the ! office in Philadelphia was presented to . the clerk of the House of Representatives, ’ at the time of its organization, by one of the ; members elect, and under it, the eight mem bers, duly elected and returned, were quali fied and took their seats. The number of Representative*, under the Constitutes of ! Pennsylvania, is one hundred. The number i which have already qualified and taken I their seats in the Regular House, is 55; and the Whig minority, exclusive of the b fi r,ted 1 Whig candidates, is 44; so that the Demo cratic majority will be 12. ‘ The attempt to govern Pennsylvania by j a minority of the people, must and will speed ily and peacefully terminate. It will end as every assault on the liberty of the peojde has heretofore done, in this free and glorious Re ’ public, by overwhelming every agent who ’ has been employed in it, with popular indig nation, now end hereafter. Yours, verv respectfully, JAMES BUCHANAN.’ Alabama Legislature —The two Houses or garezed at Puscaioosa on the 4th, Jnrites M. j Calhoun, Senator from Dallas, was elected! Present of the Senate. The vote stood—; Calhoun 14, McYav 7. Rains 4. The Hon. J James Vv. McClung, Member from Madison, > > was elected Speaker of the House—McClung ,-Jd, Shields 12.— Mercantile Advertiser. ~ j From the B:dtitnrv American. i FROM HARRISBURG. 7"he Philadelphia troops at Harrisburg oc cupy the Court House, the Arsenal and some I of ihe public houses. On Monday the foi- i lowing order was issued by Maj. Gen. Pat- j tereon: Hr ad Quarters, Ist Division. P. M. > Harrisburg, Dec. 10, IS3B. 5 j ORDER OF THE DAY. The division having arrived at the seat of government, has been reported to the Com ma nder-in-Chief, and awaits further orders. The troops will remain quietly in quarters, except when on duty. The repose of the j town must not be disturbed by unnecessary beating of drums, and all officers and sol diers, while in uniform or with arms, are ex pressly forbid entering the halls of the Capi tol, public offices, or the grounds within the | enclosure. The military will be held in strict I subordination to the civil authorities. General Prevost will detail one company ‘ i for guard duty at the Arsenal. The guard now on dutv will be relieved at 9 o’clock A. M. Col. Kenderton Smith will report his regi- . ment for duty to Brigadier Gen. Goodwin. j Officer of the dsv : Gen. Goodwin. Officer of the guard : Capt. Bentsili. Bv order of Major General, ROBERT PATTERSON, j Samuel J. Henderson, Aid-de-Camp. The Harrisburg Telegraph extra sta’es ) that Commodore Elliott had arrived there, I accompanied bv several s.ulmrdinnte officers, . . . . . * /. . . with authority from the General Govern- i ment to command the U. S. force at Carlisle, j or any other means in his power, to quel! the : insurrection. A company of volunteers had j arrived from Chambersbnrg for the same pur pose. Volunreers from different parts were on the march, and others ready at a mo ment’s warning. A public meeting of the citizens of Harris burg has been held, at which a large num ber present volunteered to assist the authori ties in the suppression of tumult. Among the persons arrested as being im- j plicated in the disturbances, are Charles F. j Meunch, of Harrisburg, John Savage, of Philadelphia, and Messrs. Pray and Ryan, two of the Van Buren claimants of sears in the Legislature from Philadelphia county. They have given bail to answer the charges against them. Latest Accounts.—By the Jdailroad Cars from York. —We received neither slips nor papers from Harrisburg by last night’s Sus quehanna Rail-road cars. We conversed, however, with a gentleman who left Harris burg yesterday morning, and from whom we learn that no event of moment had transpired there on Monday. The two divisions of the House still maintained their separate organ zatson. Yesterday was thp day for the official canvass of the votes given on the amended Constitution, and the general impression was that the amendments would be carried by a very small majority. Wednesday ( o-dav) is the day set apart by the Van Buren division of the House for the election of a U. S. Senator, which will bring up before ti e Senate and State Execu tive the question of the recognition of the lower House under its existing organization. From the Bain more American. FROM WASHINGTON. From our special correspondent we have the following notice of yesterday’s proceed ings in Congress : Washington, Dec. 11,1838. UNITED STATES SENATE. The Senate were in session but one hour ! to-day. Several private hills were passed, j but no public business was discussed. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. | The Journal having been rend, Mr. ! Haynes, of Georgia, moved that the House J go into Committee of the Whole on the Pre- j M MjNav*i ixyciim Petitions and Resolutions were then re- \ eeived from the several states. When New Hampshire was called, Mr. Atherton asked leave to present the following resolutions : Resolved , That this government is of limited powers, and that by the Constitution of the United States Congress has no juris diction whatever over the institution of sla very in the several states of the confederacy. Resolved. That the petitions for the aboli tion of slavery in the District of Columbia and the Territories of the United States, and against ihe removal of slaves from one state to another, are a part of a plan of ope rations set on foot to affect the institutions of slavery in the several states, and thus indi rectly to destroy that institution within their several limits. Resolved That Congress has no right to do that indirectly which it cannot do di rectly, and that the agitation of the subject of slavery in the District of Columbia, or in the Territories, as a means or with the view of disturbing or overthrowing that institution j in the several states, is against the true spirit j and meaning of the Constitution, an infringe- j ment of the rights of the states affected, and I a breach of the public faith on which they entered into this confederacy. Resolved, That the Constitution rests on the broad principles of equality among the members of this confederacy, and that Con- ; gress, in the exercise of its acknowledged ! powers, his no right to discriminate between the institutions of one portion of the states or another, with a view of abolishing the one or promoting the other. Resolved, therefore, That all attempts on the part of Congress to abolish slavery in the District ol Columbia, or the Territories, or to prohibit the removal of slaves from state 1o j state, or to discriminate between Ihe c-onsti- i tutions of one portion of the confederacy and another, with the views aforesaid, are in vio lation of the Constitutional principles on which the union of these states rests, and be yond ihe jurisdiction of Congress; and that every petition, memorial, resolution, proposi tion or paper, touching or relating, in any way or to any extent whatever, to slavery as j aforesaid, or the abolition thereof, shall, on the presentation thereof, without any further action therein, be laid on the table without printing, reading, debating or reference. Mr. Cushing objected to the introduction of the resolutions. Mr. Atherton moved to suspend the rules of the House. Mr. Adams asked for the yeas and nays, which were ordered ; the vote stood ayes 137, noes C 6, and so the rules were suspend ed, and the resolutions before the House. Several members here made an effort to get tb.e floor. Mr. Atherton had the floor, and com menced a speech in favor of the resolutions — defending each resolution upon Constitutional and other grounds. He spoke for 30 or 35 minutes, and concluded with a motion for the previous question. Tiie motion was unexpected and created a good deal of excitement in the House, a member seldom or never preceding such a motion with a speech. Mr. Wise said he hoped the member would withdraw the previous question. The reso lutions were not Southern resolutions, and Mr. Wise said as one Southern man he re pudiated them. The Speaker called Mr. Wise to order. Mr. \\ ise begged permission of the House to offer a Southern resolution—one that rep- j I resented Southern interests. The resolutions j j offered by the gentleman from New Damp- i (shire did not represent the South. ! The Speaker again-called Mr. Wise to order, and the House joined in ihe call, i Mr. Cushing asked Mr. Atherton to with-; draw the previous question. | Mr. Ti!ii&ghit asked the ame from Mr. • I Athurton. He said that it was not manly or customary for a man to make a long speech, j ■embodying an argument upon any subject,! land then move the previous question. The Speaker and several friends of the | administration called Mr. Tiliinghast to or- ; der. lie was compelled to taka his seat, i w hen the House seconded the previous ques i lion. Mr. Stanley, of N. C. said he wanted the ; members to* toe the mark,’ and should there- j tore move a call of the House. The call was! ordered by a large vote and the names read 1 accordingly. W hen the name of Mr. Wise was called, jhe said : ‘ Mr. Speaker, as a representative o‘ the South, I amTiot here upon the subject of abolition.’ The Speaker told the Clerk to proceed with the call. Two hundred and ten members answered to their names. I’he names of the absentees were called— now* numbering 13 members—224 members , had answered to their names. A motion was made to suspend the call, j and the ayes and rioes ordered, when the vote , stood ayes 113, noes 109. ! Mr. Wise again asked leave to offer his re ’ solution as announced. Mr. Bell here said something about the ! haste in which the House was acting upon lan important matter. He hoped the resolu tions would be printed, that the House could have time to examine them, and for this pur pose he moved the printing of the resolutions and an adjournment. Mr. Cushman, of N. 11. called for the yeas and nays, which being ordered, the mo ron to adjourn was lost, ayes 107, noes 113. The question then came up on the main j question, which was carried by yeas and 1 nays, yeas 114, nays 109. The main question— ‘ Shall the resolutions j pass?’ was now put, and the yeas and nays j ordered. Mr. C. H. Williams, of Tenn. here asked the house to he excused from voting. So I much haste had been exhibited in passing jibe resolutions through in one day, and the i resolutions were so important, and came to him in such a questionable shape, that he was not prepared to vote. Mr. W. Cost Johnson made some few re marks, which could not be heard, and moved an adjournment. The ayes and noes were ordered, and the motion again lost—ayes 108, noes 113. A division of the resolutions was then called for, and the yeas and nays ordered j upon each. Mr. Williams, of Tenn. here asked leave to be excused, and appealed to the House to excuse him. Mr. W. was about to give his | reasons, when the Speaker called him to or der, and the House joined in the call. Mr.! ; Williams was compelled to take his seat, and j | was not excused. Mr. Wise rose and said that whether the . House excused him or not, he should net vote. He would state his reasons, and the Speaker jshould not prevent him, for the 80th rule of ! the House gave him permission to give rea ; sons. Mr. Wise commenced giving his rea sons against the first resolution. It spoke of ) slavery in the states, and Congress had no thing to do with slavery in the states. The Speaker called Mr. Wise to order, and decided it was not in order to give this as a reason for not voting, and the same in terruption followed every one of Mr. Wise’s reasons, until Mr. Petriken, of Penn, called Mr. Wise to order for discussing the merits of the resolu tions. Mr. Wise said he was not discussing the merits of ths resolutions. They had no 1 merits in them. He was discussing the de j merits. The Speaker said that was not. in order. ) Mr. Wise said he had a right to give his | reasons. The 80th rule gave him that right, j and he should exercise it, wilh deference and ! respect to the Speaker and House. reasons, when the Speaker and severa 1 mem- bers called him to order, and he was com pelled to take his seat. Mr. Jenifer said he was opposed to the resolutions because they had been introduced in an objectionable manner, and pressed with an indecent haste by their author, in a wav altogether unbecoming, and after a long speech. The vote was then taken upon the first resolution, which was carried, ayes 108, nnes 6. The House then adjourned. From the Baltimore American. NATIONAL SILK CONVENTION. The delegates appointed to attend the Convention cf Si'.k Growers and Culturists, assembled yesterday morning in the room selected for the purpose in the Masonic Hall. There were one hundred and seventy-five delegates in attendance, comprising a body of highly respectable and intelligent citizens from various parts of tiie Union. We annex ( a brief sketch of proceedings: Judge Comstock, of Connecticut, was: I called to the chair, and Dr. C. C. Cox, of j Baltimore, and J. F. Callan, of Washington, appointed Secretaries. On motion, it was resolved that all persons present from different parts of the United i States friendly to tiie objects of this Conven tion, and not duly appointed delegates, be ! invited to take seats in this Convention. On motion it was resolved, that the States be called in order, and the names of the dele gates from each be reported to the Secreta ries. The names of the delegates having been (recorded, it was found that there were one : hundred and seventy-five in attendance. — 1 [More are expected to-morrow.] Dr. Buck, of Washington, then moved that the Convention adjourn to meet in the City of Washington. Upon this motion a debate ensued, in which Messrs. Buck, Gummere, Kinsman, Oknsled, Hopper, Clarke, Thompson, Ellis, Henry, and McClain participated. The mo- I tion was then postponed. On motion, it was resolved that a commit tee, to consist of one from each. .State, be appointed to report permanent officers to the Convention. The committee, after having retired for, consultation, reported the following persons as officers of the Convention : President. Judge Comstock, of Connecticut. Vice Presidents. Samuel Whit marsh, of Massachusetts. E. A. Russell, of Connecticut. J. H. King, of New York. Dr. Green, of New Jersey. Sami. D. Ingham, of Pennsylvania. Dr. Naudain, of Delaware. Judge Eccleston, of Maryland. Michael Nourse, of District of Columbia. James Winslow, of Virginia. James Duncan, of Ohio. J. Adams, of Georgia. Treasurer. L. J. Cox, of'Baltimorc. Secretaries. Dr. C. C. Cox, of Baltimore. J. F. Callan, of District of Columbia. J. H. Pleasants. George Goskell, T. C. Gould. On motion, it was resolved that a commit tee he appointed to report the order of pro ceedings of ihe Convention. The Convention then adjourned until 7 | o’clock, P. M. —. .. Messrs. Clay and Crittenden were upset in a stage near Brownsville, Penn., on their . way to Washington, and somewhat injured,* | though not seriously, ” i SENTINEL & HERALD. i COLUMBUS, DECEMBER 20, 1888. We understand that Charles J. McDonald, Esq ; of Bibb county, has been nominated as the Demooa tic candidate for Governor, by the Convention which j assenibled in Millcdgeville on Monday last. CATHOLIC CHURCH. The pews of the Catholic church, in this city, will be rented, at public auction, on the i first day of January next. J. GRAHAM, Pastor. T. Howard, Secretary. 2t HOME AFFAIKS. It has been manifest to a!!, that for some time past there has been in our midst, a reg ularly organized band of Thieves, who lost ;no opportunity in perpetrating the most enormous crimes; and from the ease and fa cility with which the force of the criminal laws have been heretofore evaded, they were encouraged in a boldness and reckless ness which has at length led to their detec-j fion. The public mind has, for near two weeks, been almost constantly occupied with this subject; by the vigilance and zeal of our! civil officers, aided by the praiseworthy 7 energy i of our citizens, some ten to fifteen suspected , personshave been lodged in jail.whoaresecur- | ed by a strong, regular and efficient guard of Citizen volunteers, who not only guard the jail j hut patrol the whole city, from dark until day. determined that each shall have a fair and j impartial trial; and if guilty shall meet merit led punishment. Our Superior Court is now | in session, and four of the suspected persons 1 j have already been tried and found guilty, one for Robbery, the others for Larceny. Con sidering the object of this association of citi zens to rid themselves of the outlaws who have been so long infesting our society, we ( have never witnessed more praiseworthy for* i bearance and decorum. No man desires to j overstep the law to visit upon the suspected, I or even those proven to be guilty, summary j punishment, but one general desire prevails, I and that is to have the laws of the country j fearlessly, faithfully, and impartially admin ■ istered. Those who have not been tried, ! and who were not able to employ council for J their defence, have had assigned them by the j Court, able and experienced council to de ! fend them. The Hon. Judge Wellhornehas j manifested throughout the highest regard to | his official duties, watching with unwearied ! diligence over the rights of the accused on the one hand, and the supremacy of the laws on the other. All must regret the instru ments of evidence which have to be resorted to in these cases. Two of their own gang have turned informers against Ihe balance, j and upon their evidence, so far convictions have taken place; but from the very nature of the case, it admitted of no other remedy; but whilst we rejoice in the means of detec tion thus afforded us, we can but detest the instruments by which the disclosures are made, and feel that they, too, richly deserve punishment. Under this state of things, the utmost caution and circumspection is requir ed to see that the innocent are not made vic tims to suffer with the guilty. So far, we have not the slightest apprehension that this i hast L*t th.c Luo utn \Ct I * 1 passed. PROCEEDINGS IN CONGRESS. It will he seen by to-days paper that Con gress has commenced session with a fairpros j pect for the despatch of business speedily. The Abolition question, which has, for a few sessions back, thwarted the operations of the House of Representatives, is likely to receive its death-blow, if we may judge from certain resolutions introduced in that body, by Mr. Atherton of New Hampshire. The resolu tions may be seen in to-day’s paper, and de serve an attentive perusal. But whilst we are enabled to congratulate the country on the business-like attitude assumed by Con gress, yet with much reluctance be it said, that there are certain members of that body who are disposed to throw obstructions in the way of all honorable proceedings, thus sacri ficing the welfare of the country for personal i aggrandizement. That jackanapes, Henry i A. Wise, the would be Randolph— mushroom clever —has been heard to yelp even at this early stage of the session ! He opposed the passage of Atherton’s resolutions, on the ; ground that they were of northern manufac ture ! Perhaps Mr. Wise is jealous of the honor accruing therefrom—honor to whom honor is due. It is time, high time, that this highly gifted son—the favorite of nature — should learn that universality of genius doth not, nor can be circumscribed within the nar row limits of one man's cranium, however huge may be the dimensions thereof. In every po litical dish Mr. Wise has a finger; at least it would seem so. But with regard to the resolutions: What matters it, we would ask, whether they ema nated from the North or the South, from this portion of the Union or that. The objection urged is wholly of a local nature, alto gether uncalled for and unexpected from a gentleman of such universal pretensions ’ to genius as Air. Wise. But whatever may be i Mr. Wise’s defects at this period of his career, he nevertheless promises to come the better of : them, and in some future day we may wit ness him as numbered among the stars of the first magnitude in our political horizon ! Old John Quincy Adams comes next; : ivith pry ing snub-nose and wistful look,’ lie seems to ! plod his way into the secret affairs of diplo ! macy; and to this end he lias drawn up re- I solutions to enquire into the Stevenson and O’Connell affair ! It would seem that John’s j I brain had become as of the nature of mucus ! i There has been an awful caving in some-! where. The last vve heard from the venera- j ble ex-President was, that lie was writing poetry to Miss Ellen Tree! Thrts the world goes: Wise quoting from Fanny Wright— Adams dictating love-poetry to Ellen Tree-: What an amorous Congress we have ! Some scoundrel sent us, by yesterday’s: : mail, a copy of the Emancipator, which we’ at once committed to the flames without ex amination. Thus it is the department of go-j vernment is made the vehicle through which the detestable incendiary is permitted to insult j and trample upon our rights'and feelings. The Legislature. —So far the aclion of th.s body has but one merit, and that is negative, i We believe it has done no harm, from the, i fact of having done nothing. We publish this day the most recent and full statements, which we have been enabled to glean from the papers, in relation to the disgraceful scenes being enacted at the Penn sylvania Capitol. We have no room for comment, and can only add that it is the foul est blot upon the American escutcheon. REPUBLICAN MEETING IN HARRIS. At a republican meeting held in Hamilton, on the lOih i 3 (. for the purpose of appoint ing delegates to represent the county m the Convention to be held in 31 Hedgeviise on the third Monday in December, Mai. Abner Dunagan was called to the chair, and P. H. Lundy appointed Secretary. The following Resolutions were introduced by Porter Ingram, Esq. ami passed unani mously : licsolved , That we will be represented in the approaching Convention, to be beki ip Miiledgeville on the third Monday inst. to nominate a candidate for Governor. Resolved, That the delegation from this county he instructed to vote in said Conven tion for no person as a candidate for Gover ner, who is not free from even a suspicion of being in favor of a National Bank. Resolved, That the total separation of the ! j Government from ail Banks, is a measure | that ail true Republicans desire to see con- I ; summated, and that the delegation from this j [county in said Convention be instructed to ! use their influence to procure the passage of; i resolutions by said Convention, requesting 1 jour Representatives in Congress to vote for j a separation of the Government from all i [Banks; and that our Representatives in the! j present Legislature be requested to vote lor the vlnti Bunk an i Independent Treasury j Resolutions now before the Legislature. I Resolved , That the Bill, now before the Legislature of this State. for general or Free 1 Banning, is, in the op nion of this meeting, a [truly republican measure, and that our He j presentativTS be requested to vote tor the passage of said Bill, with such safeguards and restrictions as shall be most conduc've to i a sound currency and the good of die people. Resolved, That the Republican party of’ Harris county most heartily concur in the nomination of tlie Hon. John Forsyth as a candidate for Vice President of the United States, and that Georgia would feel a pride in seeing her own talented and gifted son elevated to that high office. The following gentlemen were then ap pointed to represent the county in Conven tion: P. H. Lundy. Hopson Alilner, Esq. and Porter Ingram, Esq. On motion, it was Resolved, That the proceeding of this meeting be signed bv the Chairman and Secretary, and published in the Standard of Union and Columbus Sentinel and Herald. ABNER DUNAGAN, Cb’n. P. H. Lundy, Sec’ry. At a late hour last night, we were put m possession of the following highly interesting particulars of the attack and capture of the Castle of San Juan de Ulloa —for which vve are indebted to the polite attention of an offi cer of the the U. S. Revenue Cutter Wood bury :— JY. O. Bulletin. U. S. Revenue Gutter Woodbury, ) 7th Dec. 1838. J P. P. Rea, Esq. Editor N. O. Bulletin : Having been an eye-witness of the engage ment between the Castle of St. Juan de Ulioa, and tiie French blockading squadron under the command of Rear Admiral C. Baudin, at Vera Cruz, I have penned the following account of the same, and which I have di rected to you, tor whatever purpose you may think proper to make use of it. The 27th day of November was fixed upon for the final issue of the message to tiie Mexican govern ment from the Fierich Admiral. According to reports in the morning, a courier had ar rived, bringing their answer, which was, ‘ W ar to the blade, and from the blade to the I mil.’ ouii.. o o,p mo’ innjr nch squad- j ron proceeded wiiii three double banked Jri- j gales, lour sloops of war, as many brigs and j bomb vessels, and took their position abreast! of the Castle without any interruption, at j about one mile distant—tiie weather being very fine and perfectly cairn. At hall'past 2 P. M. the bombardment from the French fleet commenced—at that instant the Mexican colours were hoisted on tiie Castle and the fire promptly returned. Tiie fire was continued by both sides with out cessation, till between the hours of 4 and 5 P. 31., when the bombs from the French fleet having taken effect, two severe explo sions took place in the Castle, which for some time completely enveloped it in smoke. Upon clearing away, vve perceived that tire observ atory which was situated on the highest bat tery, from which the warmest fire was kept up, was entirely demolished. The other ex plosion took place in the low battery, burying in their ruins upwards of 200 men, and dis mounting upwards of 170 pieces of artillery, according to the accounts I received from town. The firing from both sides continued until 8 o’clock, at which time that from the Castle ceased. The next morning by a despatch from town, we were informed* that the 10-s in the Castle was 400 men killed and wounded, among whom were 35 officers. The second in com mand of the Castie, Col. Cela, of the bnftal-1 ion Aldama being among the number killed. : From the French squadron no authentic information has been received of their loss; yet you may form an opinion, when I assure you that that the frigate Ephigiue alone re ceived upwards of 100 round shot, according to the report oi’ an officer of the U. S. sloop of war Erie, who visited the French Admiral | the morning after the action. During the night a flag was sent from the Castle to the French Admiral, demanding a cessation of: hostilities, for the purpose of extracting the ! bodies of those killed and wounded from the ruins caused by the explosion. The same morning, between the hours of 10 and 12, a j number ol boats left the squadron and pro ceeded to the Castle. The French having \ possession of the Castle the town must eitrier capitulate or be destroyed ; nevertheless it is well fortified in ail its passages, every street, being barricaded. The troops are numerous and appear to be in good spirits. An officer of a French vessel of war in formed us that the Castle had capitulated, ; and that at 12 o’clock tiie French flag would he hoisted—which was accordingly done at! 2 o’clock, under a general salute from the whole squadron, consisting of 27 vessels of all j classes, including 2 steam ship;. The capitulation says the French 3re to remain in possession of the Castle, the Mexi can authorities retain full possession of the city, exercising all their functions as before, 1000 troops only to remain, the balance to go . j into the interior. I was given to understand that the French j Admiral had issued circulars to all the Con [ suls —opening the port to all flags. The interior of the Castle, and almost all the lower batteries are destroyed by the ex plosions, and the effect of the bombs. The j bursting of a single bomb of 82 lbs. destroy ed the observatory as before mentioned.bury ing a number of troops in it* ruins. The Prince de Joinville, in command of the sloop of war ‘ Creole,’ behaved in a most gallant manner, which came under mv home- ; diate observation, as I was within pistol shot j of the French fleet when the bombardment commenced. Thus has this celebrated Castle, heretofore deemed impregnable, yielded to a petty force ; after five and half hours bombardment. The j number of shot fired from the French squad-; ron, is said to he upwards of 5.000 and from j the Castle about 1700. I arn unable to give you any further details, j as we sailed the same afternoon at 4 o’clock, ‘ ter th.i place. I I Fro r, the N. O. Bulk tin. | T Steamboat Implosion and great Loss of \ J M e \ 1 1 iie Particulars of an awful disaster | which happened onboard the steamboat Au gusta, ol this port, are given in the Natchez Courier of the sth December? The Augus* ta left Natchez on the SJ instant for ViVfcs jburg with the ship Jeannette in tow. On the 1 voyage the ship got aground, when the Au j gusla separated from her, and proceeded to a wood pile. At one place she supplied her self with four or live cords of wood and was making for another, when the pilot seeing some floating timber ahead, rung the bell to stop tiie engine. The engine was stopped till the float passed, and the pilot again rung as the signal to go ahead. The engineer here discovered that the engine was at the dead point and he immediately run hack to turn | the bar, but before he had time to return the j dreadful explosion took place. , _ The Augusta is one of the most frightful i fragments ol destruction ever seen. The | boilers and whole machinery are rent into [trifling pieces; the Social Hall and its appur j tenances are shattered into atoms, and nearly : the entire main cabin is swept away; a very j small portion of it, next to the ladies cabin, ! being ail that is left, and that in such a split up condition as to tell plainly the dreadful I extent of the explosion. Tiie names of some of the passengers dead ! and missing, are not yet known ; the Augusta was, however, not very full of passengers. rShe came down in tow of the Hail Columbia, and there were found five persons on board dead, and their bodies wofuily mutilated ; and ! twelve persons more or less wounded, of i whom the medical gentlemen consulted, thinks that not more than three or four will recover; some it was thought could not outlive one I J; 7; Tire five persons found dead are : j Leonard Brown, Clerk. W m. Henderson, Ist Engineer. Geo. \\ ard, Merchant, Troy, Miss. John Wilson, deck hand. Robert Smith, do On whose bodies a Coroner’s Inquest has | been held, and death by accidental explosion reported. Besides these, the following account is as -1 certained : The Captain—missing, supposed dead. William Taylor, 2d Engineer—slightly i wounded. Barber—mortally wounded. William McDonald, Watchman—badly scalded. Henry Smith.deck hand—slightly wounded, Wm. Johnson, fireman—badly scalded. James White,deck hand—badly scalded. Jame3 Inis, do do Jas. Johnson, do do Unknown name fireman, do Lewis Lacliapelle, pilot—slightly injured. Mate (Davies) and Barkeeper,escaped un injured. 28 deck hands and firemen were on board, : and when they called them together, some time after the explosion, only S could be mus tered. The pilot at the wheel (with his pilot box) was blown upwards of fifty feet, and con trived to get ashore by using one side of the pilot box. The bodies of those dead and wounded are much discolored and disfigured, presenting a heart-rending spectacle. There was one female passenger on board, who escaped unhurt. On examination of the pieces of the boil ers found on the (leek, no doubt is entertained that this explosion was the result of culpable negligence on the part of the Engineer. From the Montgomery Advertiser. FIRE. Our city has finally experienced what we had long anticipated. On Sunday night a j fire broke out, at about 11 o’clock. P. M., in [ the row of wooden buildings at the foot of i AI-.hi ocrtrcrt, nr tiit; Omirihmwc, and nftrr ! burning with great rapidity for nearly four hours, destroyed property valued at from J forty to fifty thousand dollars. I From what we are able to learn, the fire originated in a negro bouse in rear of the | printing office of the Journal. When we reached the spot, the roof of the Journal of fice was enveloped in flames, and we saw no hope of saving either of the buildings conti guous. From there it spread on both sides until all but one of the wooden buildings on Court street, as far as the Bank, and the large brick building known as the Planter’s Hotel, belonging to A. 3lcGehee, were en tirely consumed. Tins is the most disastrous fire that has ever occurred in 3iontgomery; and bad as it is, our citizens have reasons to be thankful that it is no worse. Without an engine, without hose, without reservoirs of water, without order, indeed without every thing necessary in such a place as this at such an emergency, had the fire happened on a windy night, the whole business part of the place must leave been destroyed. Still as the air was, it was with great difficulty that the Courthouse, Postoffice, and other buildings,; were saved. And we now ask our citizens, if they will, after this warning, longer neglect to take measures for the preservation of their property and their lives, by continuing to [talk, talk, upon a subject which they should ! not even for one moment hesitate to act! If ! not, let them do something immediately.— JYov: is the time for energetic, vigorous ac t ion. More Indian Outrages. —We have ao counts that, on the November, a band I of Indians burnt the house, fences, &.c. of a ! Mr. Larwrence Smith ; on the 23d, four men from Lowndes county passing to Tradersville, i were attacked by some 30 or 40 Indians, whir j lay concealed behind a fence, killed one man and his horse on the spot, wounded two of the others, one mortally, (Boyd Hill,) the oth er escaped. The intention of the Indians, j was, it is supposed, to attack a wagon train* I which was just behind the persons attacked, ;on their way to Fort Lloyd. Captains Miller, and Sweat, with their commands, were order ed by General Floyd, in pursuit, and he and his whole force were immediately to follow, and to scour the swamp. We look with anx | iety for the result of Geri. Floyd’s pursuit, ami anticipate with confidence, all that can | he accomplished, will be done, by this ener ! getic officer.— Southern Recorder. More Murders. —The Tallahassee Flori dian of the Ist inst. says— ‘ We learn from a gentleman direct from the east, that more depredations have been committed by the Indians quartered on the Okefenokee Swamp. Week before last the dwelling ©f Mr. Toppin i was attacked, himself and wife killed, and two or three children left for dead, one of ! whom has since recovered. Two days after the family of Mr. Greene was attacked and two of his inmates killed. These families resided in Columbia County, on the St. Ma j ry’s liiver.’ A letter of the I6;h Oct. from Algiers makes mention of the violation of the French ; territory by upwards of 200 Hadjoutes, who j hnd made an unsuccessful attempt to carry j off several inhabitants from their farms at J Beni Mouca. i The armaments in the South of Russia are ! ctil! continued; upwards of 100,000 men are ready to march at the first signal, and a much : more considerable force will shortly be pre ■ pared for service. Speculators appear to be cutting up the i whole surface ol’ creaffon with canals and jrairoads. We expect that in ten years all I Europe will be laid out in building lots.—A*. i Y. Ilerald .