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of a miller for fifteen years. The Indians remove themselves, and thus save those operations which are gone into by contractors in their removal. There are no reservations for speculators. Thus the whole matter is a plain business transaction between the Indians and the government. There are no reserves in the matter to make trouble. UNITED STATES SENATORS.-The Hon. Henry Clay has been elected by the legislature of Kentucky, General Lewis Cass by the legislature of Michigan, and the Hon. William H. Seward by the legislature of New York, as United States Senators, for six years from the 4th of March next. See list of Senators, p. 121.,

23d. The President elect, General Taylor and suite, arrived in Washington. The next day the Vice President, Mr. Fillmore, arrived. On the 26th, they were waited on by a committee of congress and informed of their election.

The President's family, consisting of Mrs. Taylor and Colonel Bliss and lady, arrived in Washington before him. On his journey from his residence in Louisiana to Washington, whilst stopping at Frankfort, Kentucky, General Taylor was presented by the ladies of that place with a beautiful copy of the Bible. His answer is well worth recording, and was in these words: "I accept with gratitude and pleasure your gift of this inestimable volume. It was for their love of the truths of this great and good book that our fathers abandoned their native shores for the wilderness. Animated by its lofty principles, they toiled and suffered till the desert blossomed as the rose. These same truths

sustained them in their resolution to become a free nation. And guided by the wisdom of this book, they founded a government under which we have grown from three millions to more than twenty millions of people, and from being but a speck on the borders of this continent, we have spread from the Atlantic to the Pacific. I trust that their principles of liberty may extend, if without bloodshed, from the northern to the southern extremities of this continent. If there were in that book nothing but its great precept, 'All things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto them,' and that precept were obeyed by us, our government might be extended with safety over the whole continent."

25th. PANAMA.-The accounts at this date state that there were about 1800 persons on the isthmus, waiting the means of transportation to San Francisco. At Panama alone the number was estimated at 1100, all well and in good health. At Valparaiso and Callao persons would have paid them as high as $600 for a passage in the steamer Oregon. A great many persons here have no tickets on the Pacific side, and have offered as high as $500 for a ticket.

A correspondent of the "Boston Traveller, writing from Panama, says:

"All the accounts from the gold region are of the most flattering

character. Two men arrived here, the other day, from thence, as is here stated, with $750,000 in gold, and chartered a brig at Chagres for Charleston, S. C."

26th. The reports from California continue to excite the most intense interest in Europe. The excitement has now extended to all classes. The French Government has despatched an engineer to California, with the object of surveying the discoveries.

The British Parliament has voted £50,000 for the relief of Ireland; and at the same time passed a bill to continue for a time longer the suspension of the habeas corpus act. Ireland is becoming poorer every day: the heart of the nation seems broken. The trial of Gavan Duffy has fallen through: the jury did not agree.

The new Assembly of France will meet in May. The President, Louis Napoleon, is increasingly popular.

Persia is at present disturbed by a serious rebellion. An army sent by the Shah to suppress it joined the insurgents, and it was announced that they would march against the Shah, with the intention of dethroning him.

In the British Parliament, Mr. Cobden's proposition for a financial reform was negatived by a majority of 197.

The news from Europe confirm the prior accounts that a central Italian Republic is being formed in connexion with the Romans. The Prince of Canino (M. Bonaparte) is declared President of the Roman Republic. The revolution in Tuscany is complete. The Pope has sought aid from Austria to restore him, and Radetsky entered Ferrara,* levied a contribution of 200,000 scudi, and sent it to the Pope. The executive Committee of Rome thereupon issued the following proclamation:

"Romans:-The territory of the Republic has been violated by the implacable enemies of Italy. The Austrians have crossed the Po, and threatened Ferrara. Among the pretexts they adduce for their occupation there is the fact of the republican government having been proclaimed by us. Austria, hard pressed by internal revolution-trembling on account of the victories of the Hungarians-attempts a desperate blow, in the hope that the Italians are still in discord when the common enemy is to be fought. Facts will prove the contrary. Our cause is the cause of Italy, and this invasion will prove how great is the affection of all the people of our peninsula for our independence. The generous people of the Romagna and of Bologna, who drove away the Austrians at the time when the sacerdotal caste still weighed upon us, will do it now with still greater vigour and energy. The republican spirit redoubles the strength of the body; and, supported by the universal consent of the people, the government of the republic has taken all those measures which have ever, in difficult times, saved na

* Since evacuated by the Austrians.

tions from slavery and dishonour. The Minister of War is hastening to Bologna, and troops of the line, bodies of civic mobilized guard, and volunteers, are on their way to repel the enemy."

In India, the British forces under Lord Gough have suffered severely at the hands of the valiant Sikhs. The "Bombay Telegraph" says another murderous conflict with the Sikhs has occurred on the left bank of the river Ihelm, between the army of the Punjaub, under Lord Gough, and the Sikh force-the Sikhs under Rajah Shwere Singh. A struggle in which the British have to deplore the loss of 93 officers and 2,500 men, killed and wounded-four guns captured, and four or five regimental colours taken by the enemy. The struggle terminated in victory, but was disgraced by the flight of the Bengal cavalry regiments, and the retreat, as yet scarcely satisfactorily explained, of two British corps of dragoons.

Sir C. Napier has been sent out from England to supersede Lord Gough in the command.

The victories, too, claimed by the Austrians over the Magyars are said to be such victories as will soon bring the latter to the gates of Vienna, unless they are checked.

27th. A mysterious and tragical affair occurred in New York at this date the death of Mrs. Walker, the lady whose abduction as Mrs. Miller, some years since, caused a great sensation. She was found shot by a pistol in the house where she resided. ́ Her husband, Mr. Walker, was arrested, and is supposed to have killed her in a fit of jealousy. He alleges that she shot herself.

28th. A terrible shipwreck occurred on the Long Lands Coast of England. The American brig Floridian, Capt. Whitmore, having on board nearly 200 German emigrant passengers from Amherst, foundered, and only four were saved. The vessel struck with such fatal violence, that she immediately went to pieces, and the unfortunate beings aboard were precipitated into the deep.

THE IMPORTANT TELEGRAPH CASES lately argued in Washington have excited considerable public attention. In the one case, before Judge Catron, the contest was between Messrs. O'Reilly and Morse; in the other, before Judge Cranch, between Messrs. Bain and Morse.

The first was an application, on the part of Mr. Morse, for an injunction against Mr. O'Reilly on account of the telegraph lines constructed by him in Tennessee. Very able counsel were engaged-Gov. Seward on the part of Mr. Morse, Gen. R. H. Gillett for Mr. O'Reilly. Judge Catron stated substantially that he could not consistently grant an injunction in such a case as this telegraph matter; and the most he would probably have done (if the case seemed to justify the prudential proceeding) would have been, not to have stopped the working of the lines, (which might seriously and wrongfully injure the defendant,)

but to have required security to indemnify the complainants, in case the suit should ultimately result in their favour. The tenor of his remarks was understood to be quite different from the language and acts of Judge Monroe, who granted an injunction in the Kentucky case, where the same parties were concerned.

The second case was an appeal from a decision of the Patent Commissioner on the second patent asked for by Mr. Bain. Mr. Gillett's remarks on this argument are said to have been very forcible. He analyzed the respective claims of the contending parties, with a view of showing there is nothing original in the claim of Professor Morse for an electro-chemical telegraph, and nothing which is not already substantially included in the patent granted to Mr. Bain by the United States, as well as by Great Britain.

The Judge reversed the decision of the Commissioner, and the telegraph monopoly no longer exists. The "Buffalo Courier" takes the following view of the decision:

"The material point settled by the Judge is, that there cannot be a patent for a principle, nor for the application of a principle, nor for an effect. Two persons may use the same principle and produce the same effect by different means, and without interference or infringement, and each would be entitled to a patent for his own invention. In this case the effect is produced by means so different as to prevent an interference, and the question of priority of invention does not arise.

"Therefore, the Judge decides that Mr. Morse and Mr. Bain are each entitled to a patent for the combination which each has invented, and claimed, and described. Under this decision, it is understood, the proprietors of Bain's invention will proceed immediately to erect telegraph lines over most of the routes in this country now worked under the Morse patent. The consequence of such a competition as will ensue must necessarily be to cheapen communication by telegraph, and bring the whole system nearer perfection-a result which few will regret."

[We embrace the opportunity to state here that we have in preparation an article on telegraphs, in which we propose to give a condensed account of this wonderful and incalculably valuable discovery, its progress, &c. It will appear in our next number.]

OBITUARY.*

1848.

Died, at Monterey, California, last autumn, ADMIRAL WOOSTER, late commander in chief of the Chilian Navy. He was formerly a citizen of New York, and in the last war with Great Britain was engaged extensively in privateering.

"Admiral Wooster was the grandson of General Wooster of revolutionary memory, who was one of the eight brigadier generals originally appointed by congress, and lost his life while leading a charge at the battle of Danbury, Connecticut. He leaves one son, who was educated at West Point, and is now, we believe, a lieutenant in the fourth regiment of artillery, U. S. A.

"The whole history of the Wooster family has been one abounding in incident. The founder of the family, General Wooster, though born in Stratford, Connecticut, went abroad early, held a commission in the British army, and returned to his native country one of the twenty-two original patentees of a large tract of land at Weathersfield, Connecticut. He was engaged in the French war in Canada, and finally lost his life in that service.

About the same time died the king of Persia, MOHAMMED SHAH. He was the son of Abbas, and grandson of Fetti Ali Shah, who died in 1834, and whom he succeeded to the throne of Persia, was the third sovereign of the dynasty of the Kadjars, founded in 1794 by Aga Mohammed Khan. He was born in 1806, and his heir, Naibus Solthanet, governor of Azerbaidjan, is 18 years of age.

OCTOBER, 1848.

Oct. 8th. At Philadelphia, COMMODORE BIDDLE, of the United States Navy. He entered the navy at the commencement of this century, through the recommendation of vice-president Burr. He was a nephew of the Commodore Biddle who was blown up in the Randolph frigate in an engagement with a British 64 gun ship, off the capes of the Delaware, in 1778, and was a brother of the late Nicholas Biddle, president of the bank of the United States. Commodore Biddle was 1st lieutenant of the Wasp when she took the British sloopof-war Frolic, and Commodore Jones speaks of his conduct on that occasion in the highest terms. He participated in other battles. As

* We insert some obituary notices, which in the order of date precede the current quarter. They were prepared for December.

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