29 DECEMBER 1838, Page 3

In the American newspapers rk yesterday by the Hi- bernia,

we find accounts of a riot •1 Harrisburg, the capital of Pennsylvania. There is no ie. e:se intelligence as to the origin or motive fiai the disturbae,a : but we gather front the contradictory statements published. 1;dlowingtitets. The VAN L1tREN party in Pt. nn:; huuitt am agh enraged by the suc-

cess of the " 11 hi,e.e" or Oppositi(•:a r the recent. State electi■ns. They allege that iit the ta,tutty of ,'elphia undue tafterns were made, and there.!ty a maj.irity see•.red to the Whigs, which enabled the latter to ehoo....2 a Speaker of their own party, and which would also throe the election of Senators to the United States Congre:at into their hands. To stop their pro- ceedings, the VAN lot tn:N men resolved to prevent the Speaker from taking the chair. The Speaker appointed a (hinny ; but he was dragged nut of the iion

halls or chambers : they the little arsenal at Harris- burg. The Governor d the whNfia from Philadelphia

to restore order and the :ceheri,,- of the laws ; at which point matters stood who the last zee..otints left Harrisburg,. In his proclamation the Covet•nor Ontrgi i an officer of the General Go- vernment with instigating the rioters. The disturbances seem to have begun about the nth instant; but it is impossible to LISL'er- thin the exact date from the papers before us. The Whigs allege that the real object of the rioters is to prevent the exposure of "enormous frauds p.aipetrthed in the county of Philadelphi”." Harrisburg is a smell place, ?war the centre of the state : in Phila- delphia it would not have been possible for the rioters to succeed in their attack on the majority of the Legislature. Probably the whole affitir is much exaggerated.

The proceedings in Congress were only preliminary. The VAN BUREN candidate for the Clerkship of the house of Representa- tives was elected by a majority of 106 to 104 ; but many members were absent.

Mr. ADAMS ofFercd a series of' resolutions to the House. charging Mr. STEVENSON, Ambassador from the United States in London, with undignified conduct in the dispute with Mr. O'CoNsEi.t., the particulars of which the reader will recollect. The pith of the charge was, that Mr. STEVENSON had "involved the honour of his country" in a quarrel with" DANIEL O'CoNNELL ;" that he had in concert with other persons conspired "to stop the wind or murder" the said O'Coxam.n in a duel or " brawl ;" and that he had accepted an apology, which, even according to the " spurious law" of honour, must be held unsatisthctory. Under these circumstances, it was for the House to consider whether Mr. &rev taysox should not be proceeded against by impeachment or otherwise. The reso- lutions were "laid on the table"—that is, rejected—by a majority of 140 to 57 ; the minority, however, being stronger than was ex- pected.