aut totattial.

FRANCE.—The Journal des Debats has caused a sensation this week by publishing some important documents connected with the recent diplo- matic proceedings in the East. Those documents consist of the text of the protocol signed by the Four Powers on the 5th December ; the col- lective note annexed ; and the circular instructions addressed by the Four Powers to their representatives at Constantinople. The protocol states that the desire of the Four Powers to put an end to hostilities has made them resolve to offer their good offices to the belligerent parties ; that " the assurances given by the Emperor of Russia exclude the idea that that august Sovereign entertains any wish to inter- fere with the integrity of the Ottoman Empire" ; that the existence of Turkey, within the limits assigned by treaties, is " one of the necessary conditions of the European equilibrium" ; and the undersigned "declare with satisfaction," that the present war cannot alter " the state of peseta. sion which time has consecrated in the East." It further states, that the Emperor of Russia has said he never intended to impose any "new obli- gations " on the Porte ; and that the Porte has shown itself ready is "recognize all its contracted obligations, " and pay full attention to the interests entertained by the Emperor of Russia for a people whose soli. gion is his own.

On these grounds, the Powers sent a collective note, expressing their desire to prevent a further effusion of blood ; and requesting " to be in- formed on what conditions the Ottoman Porte would consent to nego- tiate a treaty of peace." The circular instructions addressed simultaneously by the Four Powers to their representatives at Constantinople request the latter to urge the Porte to propose the renewal of negotiations, with a declaration that Austria, Fraaee, England, and Prussia, have not presumed too much in thus taking the initiative.

"The Divan, bearing in mind the assurance which Russia has given at sundry times, that she wants no new concessions or rights, likely to interfere with the sovereignty of the Sultan, should declare itself ready to renew its offers, and to discuss the forma in which peace is to be reestablished, and the religious question regulated, on the sole condition of not having to accede to any of the demands which it has already refused, and of concluding an ar- rangement for the evacuation of the Principalities. That negotiation would naturally take place between a Turkish negotiator and another on the part of Russia, both furnished with full powers to treat ; but in order to facilitate accord between the two parties, the plenipotentiaries so appointed would not treat alone, but in presence of the representatives of Austria, France, Great Britain, and Prussia. Reasons which we comprehend will not, with- Out doubt, permit the Sublime Porte to negotiate with Russia in a part of its territory occupied by- the arms of that power; Russia, on her side, would object to a town in any other part of Turkey. It would, consequently, be advisable to leave the two parties to make choice of a neutral ground, and we refrain in that respect from any premature designation. The object which the Four Courts have in view would not be completely obtained if the commencement of the negotiations for peace were not at the same time the signal for the cessation of hostilities. But we cannot conceive that the Sublime Porte could have any good reason to oppose the conclusion of an ar- mistice, the conditions of which could be afterwards determined, if it obtain- ed from us the assurance that the terms on which it might declare itself ready to treat would likewise be accepted by Russia." These instructions were published on Monday. On the following day, the Atoniteur reprinted them from the copy in the Debate; remarking, that "the publication of these instructions, if they were false, was a culpable manosuvre—if true, an unpardonable indiseretion, of which the Government would take care to prevent a repetition." It is stated that M. Armand Bertin, responsible editor of the offending journal, has been personally reprimanded by M. de Persigny. At this interview, M. Bertin refused to name the source whence he obtained the instructions. Rumour says, in accounting for their publication, that M. de Rourqueney, the French Minister at Vienna, gave a copy of the in- structions to his friend M. Guizot, who gave a copy to a friend, who handed them to the editor of the Journal des Debate.

Tummies—The interest of the intelligence from the East still centres in the battle of Sinope, and the reported Russian victories in Asia. We have before us Russian accounts of these events, and they are well worthy of attention.

It appears that when Admiral Nachimoff was cruising off the coast of Anatolia, he " saw " a division of the Turkish squadron at anchor in the harbour of Sinope. Instead of immediately making a dash at this force, he sent the Bessarabia to Sebastopol with the intelligence (probably also to seek for orders) ; and on 'the 27th November, three ships of 120 guns each named the Ville de Paris, the Grand Duke Constantine, and the Tri Sviatitelia, joined his squadron, under Admiral Novosilski. On the 28th, Nachimoff gave orders that the fleet should enter the harbour as soon as the weather would permit. On the 30th, favoured by a North- east wind and a dense fog, the Russian fleet, Nachimoff leading in the Empress Maria, entered the bay under press of canvass. They were not seen by the Turks until within half a mile. The ships took up position and dropped their anchors, under a "terrible fire from the Turkish ships and batteries" - but in "less than five minutes the Grand Duke Con- stantine demolished the land-battery next her guns," and blew up the Turkish frigate lying off that battery, with Paixhans. The Ville de Paris served another frigate in the same way. The Turks gallantly cut the cables of the Empress Maria and the Tri Sviatitelia ; but fresh an- chors were dropped, and they held on. "At two o'clock p. en. the guns of the Turkish ships were silenced. Three frigates, one of them of 74 guns, with the Admiral's flag on board, were burning, and of the two transports nothing could be seen but the masts. We had sunk them. The Turkish quarter of Sinope was in flames ; and at 2.30p. m. the Admiral stopped the firing, and sent an officer with a flag of truce, to tell the authorities of •Sinop, that if another gun was fired, either from the town or the strand batteries, he should certainly bombard and ut- terly destroy the town of Sinope. The officer landed, and staid above an hoe; but he could not find the Turkish authorities. He did not see a single Turk; they had all taken refuge in the neighbouring villages." It is sub. waently added, that "the conflagration respected [spared] the Greek quarter i,-fttnope!" That there should be enough men-of-war at the scene of action, and that the destruction of the Turkish fleet might be complete, three addi- tional steamers—the Odessa, the Crimea, and the Chersonese—were sent from Sebastopol on the 29th, under Admiral Kornileff. They arrived, however, at the close of the fight, in time to attempt to intercept the Taif steamer,—the sole Ottoman ship that escaped destruction at Sinope. On the evening of the 30th, says the Russian account, the guns of the horning vessels went off one after another • blew up, and their burning frag- ments were hurled over the Turkish quarter of Sinope. " On the following morning,. nothing was left of the twelve ships of the Turkish squadron but the Damiette frigate, which had been taken in tow by the Odessa, and the

sloop and the corvette—mere hulks—in the Northern portion of the bay. On being examined, the Damiette was found to have her hull torn by seven- teen cannon-balls ; and her rigging, &c., were in such a state that she could not be taken to SebastopoL She was run on shore, and burnt. Orders were

also given to burn the sloop and the corvette. The officers charged with the execution of these orders found on board the sloop Osman Paeha, the com- mander of the Turkish squadron, who had a wound in his right leg. They sound also two captains and eighty sailors. The prisoners were at once re- moved to our ships. On that evening not a single Turkish vessel remained In the harbour of Sinope."

The Russian fleet remained at Sinope, repairing damages, until the 2d December; when it departed for Sebastopol. The Empress Maria, the Grand Duke Constantine, the Tri Sviatitelia, and the Rotialaff, were so damaged by the Turkish fire that the steamers had to tow them back to Sebastopol. In his deep' Prince Menschikoff says—" The orders of his Imperial Majesty have been most brilliantly executed." It has been stated, that on the arrival of the Taif at Constantinople, a Divan was held, and a demand was made that the combined fleets of England and France should enter the Black Sea. Admiral Dundee ad- vised that the fleets should go at once, and intercept the Russian ships on their way to Sebastopol This counsel was overruled, it is said, by General Baraguay d'Hilliers. A contemporary has indignantly asserted that such could not have been the case, as there would not have been time to ere- mite the manoeuvre imputed to the counsel of Admiral Dundee. But it now appears that there would have been time : the Taif reached Constan- tinople on the day that the Russian fleet left Sinope, and it was two days beating back to Sebastopol The excitement in Constantinople has been very great, and loud com- plaints have been uttered against England and France ; but, according to the latest accounts, the fleets have entered the Black Sea. It is also stated that the maritime powers have lately sent instructions that they should enter; and that the messenger will probably find that the orders he been have been anticipated. The news from the Danube seems to indicate activity on both sides. The Russians attempted to surprise Matachin, a fort near Brailow. They cannonaded the place, and landed a body of riflemen on the right bank ; but these were soon disposed of by a body of Turkish cavalry, and the attempt failed. There are rumours of a contradictory nature respecting the movements at Kalafat. In one account the Turks are represented as having repulsed a Russian attack with great slaughter, and in another the Russians are said to have driven the Turks into the Danube with a loss of 16,000 men ! Omer Pacha was at Rustehuk on the 10th. The Rus- sians had heavily fortified Giurgevo, and had thrown up intrenchments at Fmtesehi and around Bucharest. The high spirit of the Turkish soldiers is undiminished.

The latest authentic accounts from Asia are dated Erzeroum, Novem- ber 17and are said by the City writer of the Times to be entitled to

full credit. From these it would appear, that the successes of the Turks have not been overrated. The writer recounts the capture of St. Nicholas, and a large stock of flour, and informs us that it has been subsequently garrisoned by 4000 Turks. On the 3d November, Ibrahim Bey attacked a body of 6000 Russians encamped at Vales Doozee, with light troops only ; who, however, "carried everything before them,"—losing, never- theless, 1000 men. Ali Pacha entered Georgia after this ; repulsed a Russian attack at Bayazid ; and was followed by Mini and Mehemet Peebles across the frontier ; the united forces marching upon Erivan. When it was known that Trzughett had fallen, Kerim Pacha urged an immediate advance of the whole army into Georgia. Abdi Paths ob- jected, but subsequently yieldedand, leaving 12,000 men to watch Gumn, (Alexandropol,) the main body of the army, 23,000 strong, began a march from Kars for Teas. Somewhere between the 12th and the 17th, the Russians occupying Gumri were forced by the Turks into the fortress. The Turks were greatly in want of battering-cannon. Some heavy guns from Trebizond had stuck in the mountains between that city and Erzeroum, and there would remain until the spring. The Turks had fought well, but the capacity of Abdi Pacha, the chief in command, was doubted. The Turkish Government had appointed Sadullah Pacha, a Georgian by birth, Governor of Georgia ; and from the symptoms mani- fested, an insurrection of the Georgians was daily expected. "Finally, the strongest convictions are expressed that the Russian forces in Asia are comparatively small, and that the accounts circulated from time to time of the arrival of large reinforcements have been mostly fictitious. `Altogether,' it is remarked, it is quite marvellous to find them so ill pre- pared for defence, so easily beaten and dispirited.' fhe hostility of the po- pulation by which they are surrounded is regarded, however, as the true ex- planation of this state of affairs, since they are obliged to scatter a large num- ber of men in fortresses, while the movements of the Circassian call for all their vigilance in the field." Subsequently, however, to the date of the letters from Erzeroum, we have a Russian bulletin, claiming immense victories, in which Prince Andronikoff gives an account of his services. He narrates how he attacked and carried an "inaccessible position" of the enemy near Ak- haltaich, with the bayonet, after a fierce cannonade. He styles it an "unheard-of feat of arms," and onesuch as could only be accomplished by the dauntless courage of Russian. soldiers. Their own loss is described as alight, that of the Turks considerable. However, they admit that Gene- ral Freitag was killed. But it appears that Prince Andronikoff was engaged with only a detachment of the Turkish army, as he states that the routed troops could not effect a junction with the main body. This conflict is said to have occurred on the 26th November; but there are reasons for thinking that the despatch was antedated. Commenting on his own success, Prince Andronikoff exclaims—" Can there be obstacles for an army mindful of the Imperial word, In to Dornine aperavi, non confundar in eternum !"

Other Russian victories are mentioned : defeat of 30,000 Turks at Builder, on the 14th November, under Abdi Pacha ; Turks repulsed from Gumri on the 16th, by Beboutoff, and dispersed by Prince Orbeliani with Georgian militia ; another Russian victory at Gumri, 1000 Turks killed. i It is impossible to reconcile the conflicting accounts, and confusion of dates between the new and old style. Except the victory gained by Prince Andronikoff, all the others are equally claimed by the Turks. The warlike activity-of Servia still excites attention. Prince Kara Georgewitch recently left his capital for Kragujevatz, taking with him General Kincanin, the officer who commanded a contingent in the Hun- garian war. The pretext for this seclusion of the Prince is that at Kra- gujevatz he can take measures which could not be done secretly at Bel- grade.Guns continued to be cast and proved. Omer ?ache has sent 300 artillerymen to the fortress. On the frontier stand 12,000 Boaniacs, intrenched at Visigrad and Mokrogora. The would-be Russian Consul, M. de Moukhine, resides at Semlin, and frequently crosses to Belgrade in disguise. A concerted movement between Servia and Montenegro is spoken of.

Russia.—To Deum was sung in the Imperial chapel and all the churches of St. Petersburg on the 8th instant, for the victories at Sinop) and Akhaltaich. The celebration in the Imperial chapel was attended by the Emperor and Empress, the Imperial Family, Ministers of State, Ad- mirals, Generals, and dignitaries present in the capital. A salute was fired from the fortress, and the city illuminated in the evening. "The moat pious Czar," writes the St. Petersburg Journal, "thanked the Lord of Lords for the success of the victorious Russian arms which triumphed in the sacred combat for the orthodox faith."

Prince Andronikoff has received the order of St. George of the third class, and other officers have been rewarded.

The Czar has published a ukase, proclaiming the state of siege through- out Bessarabia and the governments of Cherson and Tauris, and placing those provinces under martial law.

Another ukase releases a portion of the crews of the Baltic fleet until the spring—namely, 28 men of each of the crews of the guard, and 48 of those of the line. This measure is to remain in force till the 13th of March 1854. [In explanation, it may be stated that the best seamen of the Baltic fleet have been in the Black Sea fleet some three months : the men sent home are raw levies.] ITALY.—Turin was the scene of a striking event on the 16th instant ; the opening and consecration of a fine new church built for the use of the Waldenses. The building is situated in one of the best new streets of Turin, the Via del Re; and its architecture, Lombard-Gothic, is said to recall the purer days of Italian religion. The walls are sustained by bold and lofty buttresses; the chief door is deep-sunk beneath circular arches, and semi-Gothic pillars; pinnacles rise above turreted angles ; a handsome ante-chapel leads to a spacious nave ; and in the windows the use of painted glass has not been disdained. It is without the usual " chapels" at the side of Italian churches ; it has no pictures, statues, or altars, but only a simple table with a pulpit behind it. Its position. and architecture show how fully its existence is permitted by the authorities.

This church has been built by private subscription; find prominent among the subscribers is General Beckwith, who enjoys the reputation of

being a most munificent patron of the people of the tallies. It is word thy of record, that when, some time ago, a deputation of Bishops waited on King Victor Emanuel to induce him to withdraw the permission to build this church, the King replied by stating that the matter did not rest with him, but with his Parliament and Ministers : at the same time, he put the searching question, "Did they or did they not believe in the. truth of the Catholic faith ? If they did not, there was nothing to be said ; if they, as he, did believe in it, they could not be alarmed at the building of a house called the Vaudois Church." The opening and consecration of the church was attended by about twelve hundred persons, besides a quiet mob in the streets. Among those within, were Mr. Hudson, the British Minister, M. Bunsen, the Prussian Envoy, M. Malan, the first Deputy from the Vaudois, and Ge- neral Beckwith. Two sermons were preached ; one in French, by the Moderator, M. Revel ; a second in Italian, by M. Meille. The last- named gentleman gave a history of the Waldenses, and dwelt upon the fact that they met there by virtue of the constitution granted by aeries Albert, and nobly preserved by Victor Emanuel It is not generally known that the Waldenses are in direct connexion with the British Go- vernment ; but it is so. Oliver Cromwell authorized a subscription to be raised for their benefit while they wore suffering under the cruel per- secutions of the Duke of Savoy : part of it he transmitted to the Vallies; and part he funded, arranging that the interest should be sent to them, annually. Charles the Second seized this fund ; Queen Anne restored it ; but in 1797 it fell into disuse in consequence of the war. It was re- vived again in 1826, and is paid to this day. This fund is expended ex- clusively on education and religion ; and furnishes a part of the salaries of fifteen pastors, fifteen parish schoolmasters, and ninety hamlet school- masters. The Waldenses now amount to about 20,000 in the tallies:

they have a college, but take their degrees of theology in Switzerland. They publish two newspapers—La Buena Nocella at Turin, and Le Glaneur Savoyard at Chamber'. The Legislative Assembly of Piedmont was opened on Monday last, by the King in person. His speech is said to have been warmly applauded.

He congratulated the Piedmontese nation on its intelligence ; and recom-

mended the Parliament to encourage that spirit of union, by the aid of which the Government might find force sufficient to maintain intact

the dignity of the country, and preserve the noble principle of national independence from any insult. He concluded with these words--" Have confident in me, and by our union we will crown the grand edifice raised by the bands of my father, and which mine will defend and preserve." Morelli, one of the sub-agents of the Police of Rome, detested by the people, recently fell by the knife of an assassin. He was walking with two women ; some one tapped him on the shoulder ; he turned, and was instantly stabbed in the neck. The blow was given with great dexterity and accuracy, dividing the carotid artery. The assassin escaped.

Swanaue.—It appears that the strong allusion to the increase of drunk. enness in the recent speech of King Oscar. is the reflex of an equally strong public opinion on the subject. Petitions in considerable numbest have been presented to Mm, praying him " to take such measures as shall avert the misery which threatens the nation if the production a tImita

be allowed to continue in its present extent." The last petition had been signed by 18,000 persons. Even the mob begins to gather in the streets and call for the closing of the distilleries, "thsit they may be secured against dearth until the next harvest comes round." In some cases, they have forced the distilleries and put out the fires; crying, " The hell- drink shall not be made any more !"

UNITED STATES.—The Canada arrived at Liverpool on Monday morn- ing, with advices from New York to the 6th, and Boston to the 7th in- stant ; bringing, among other things, the President's message.

The thirty-third Congress met at Washington on the 5th instant. Having constituted themselves, the Senate appointed Mr. Dodge and Mr. Bell to wait on the President, in conjunction with the Committee of the House of Representatives, and inform him that Congress was organized. The President's message was then read in the Senate.

The message commences by asserting that the sole reliance of a confederacy like the United States is " upon the justice and intelligence of the masses." The President points out, that although "a widespread and devastating pestilence " has left traces on the country, yet it has still the most abundant cause for thankfulness : " it is well that a consciousness of rapid advance- ment and increasing strength be habitually associated with an abiding sense of dependence upon Him who holds in his hands the destiny of men and nations." " We can place no secure reliance upon any apparent progress if it be not sustained by national integrity, resting upon the great truth af- firmed and illustrated by Divine Revelation." The President states that the diplomatic relations of the United States with foreign powers have undergone no essential change since the adjournment of last Congress ; and he proceeds to inform Congress of the negotiations in progress. Negotiation respecting the fisheries question with England has been opened, " with a fair prospect of a favourable result." " Embarrassing question have also arisen between the two Governments in regard to Central America "; which " Great Britain has proposed to settle by an amicable ar- rangement," and the American Minister in London has been instructed to enter into negotiations on the subject. " Some progress has been made in negotiating a treaty of commerce and navigation " with France. " Independently of our valuable trade with Spain, we have important po- litical relations with her growing out of our neighbourhood to the islands of Cuba and Porto Rico. I am happy to announce, that since the last Congress no attempts have been made by unauthorized expeditions within the United States against either of those colonies. Should any movement be manifested within our limits, all the means at my command will be vigorously exerted to repress it. Several annoying occurrences have taken place at Havannab, or in the vicinity of the island of Cuba, between our citizens and the Spanish authorities. Considering the proximity of that island to our shores, lying as it does in the track of trade between some of our principal cities—and the suspicious vigilance with which foreign intercourse, particularly that with the United States, is there guarded—a repetition of such occurrences may well be apprehended. As no diplomatic intercourse is allowed between our Consul at Havannah and the Captain-General of Cuba, ready explanations cannot be made, or prompt redress afforded, where injury has resulted. All complaint on the part of our citizens, under the present arrangement, must be, in the first place, presented to this Government, and then referred to Spain ; Spain again refers it to her local authorities in Cuba for investigation, and postpones an answer till she has heard from those authorities. To avoid these irritating and vexatious delays, a proposition has been made to provide for a direct appeal for redress to the Captain-General by our Consul, in behalf of our injured fellow-citizens. Hitherto the Government of Spain has de- clined to enter into any such arrangement. This course on her partis deeply regretted ; for, without some arrangement of this kind, the good under- standing between the two countries may be exposed to occasional inter- ruption. Our Minister at Madrid is instructed to renew the proposition, and to press it again upon the consideration of her Catholic Majesty's Govern- ment."

The President states that he fully approves of the conduct of Captain In- graham in the Kossta affair. He declares that the "principles and policy" maintained in Mr. Marcy's despatch to the Austrian Minister "will, when- ever a proper occasion occurs, be applied and enforced." The recently-appointed Commissioner to China is instructed to extend commercial relations: it has "not yet been ascertained how far the Emperor of Japan will be disposed to abandon his restrictive policy." A boundary question, and "other questions of considerable magnitude," are pending between the United States and Mexico ; and negotiations are on foot to obtain "the free navigation of the Amazon" from the Government of Brazil.

Having dealt with foreign topics., the President points out that they are also exempt from causes of any serious disquietude "in domestic relations." " The controversies which have agitated the country heretofore are passing away with the causes which produced them and the passions which they had awakened ; or if any trace of them remains, it may be reasonably hoped that t will only be perceived in the zealous rivalry of all good citizens to testify their respect for the rights of the States, their devotion to. the Union and their common determination that each one of the States, its institutions, its welfare, and its domestic peace, shall be held alike secure under the sacred regis of the constitution.

This new league of amity and of mutual confidence and support into which the people of the Republic have entered happily affords inducement and opportunity for the adoption of a more comprehensive and unembar- rassed line of policy and action as to the great material interests of the country, whether regarded in themselves or in connexion with the Powers of the civilized world.

" The United States have continued gradually and steadily to expand, through acquisitions of territory, which, how much soever some of them may have been questioned, are now universally seen and admitted to have been wise in policy, just in character, and a great element in the advancement of our country, and, with it, of the human race, in freedom, in prosperity, and in happiness. The thirteen States have grown to be thirty-one, with relations reaching to Europe on the one side, and on the other to the distant realms of Asia.

"I am deeply sensible of the immense responsibility which the present magnitude of the Republic and the diversity and multiplicity of its interesta devolve upon me ; the alleviation of which, so far as relates to the immediate conduct of the public business, is, first, in my reliance on the wisdom and patriotism of the two Houses of Congress ; and secondly, in the directions afforded me by the principles of public polity affirmed by our fathers of the epoch of 1798, sanctioned by long experience, and consecrated anew by the overwhelming voice of the people of the United States. • • • * Happily, I

have no.occasion to suggest any radical changes in the financial policy of the overnment. Ours is almost, if not absolutely, the solitary power of Christen- domintiving a surplus revenue, drawn immediately from imports on corn- merce,-aiid therefore measured by the spontaneous enterprise and national prosperity of the country, with such indirect relation to agriculture, manu- factures, and the products of the earth, and sea, so as to violate no conatitu-

, • ,

tonal doctrine, and yet vigorously promote the general welfare. Neither le to the sources of the public treasure, nor as to the manner of keeping and managing it, does any grave controversy now prevail, , there being a general

acquiescence in the wiadom of the present system. . •

" The report of the Secretary of the Treasury Will- ekhffiit in detail the state of the public finances, and the condition of the various branches of the public service administered by that departmenteif the Government " The revenue of the country, levied ahnostinsensibly to the tax-payer j goes on from year to year increasing beyond either the interests or the pin_

spective wants of the Government.

"At the close of the fiscal year ending June 30, 1852,;:tthere remained ie the Treasury a balance of 14,632,136 dollars. The pubfic revenue far the fiscal year ending June 30, 1853, amounted to 58,931,865 dollars from custom; and to 2,405,708 dollars from public lands and other miscellanea= saurce$, amounting together to 61,337,574 dollars; while the public expenditures fee the same period, exclusive of payments on account of the public debt, amounted to 43,554,262 dollars, leaving a balance of 32,425,447 doling receipts above expenditures. "This fact of increasing surplus in the Treasury became the suhjedit anxious consideration at a very early period of my administration; and t e path of duty in regard to it seemed to me obvious and elear,—namelv, first, to apply the surplus revenue to the discharge of the public debt, so far as it could judiciously be done- and secondly, to devise means for the gradual re.. duction of the revenue to 'the standard of the public exigencies: " Of these objects, the first has been in the course of accomplishment in a manner and to a degree highly satisfactory. The amount of the public debt of all classes was, on the 4th of March 1853, 69,190,037 dollars ; payments on account of which have been made since that period to the amount of 12,703,329 dollars; leaving unpaid and in the continuous conme, of liquida- tion the sum of 56,486,708 dollars. These payments, although made at the market-price of the respective classes of stocks, have been effected readily, and to the general advantage of the Treasury, and have at the same time proved of signal utility in the relief they have incidentally afforded to the money-market and to the industrial and commercial pursuits of the country_ "The second of the above-mentioned objects—that of the tariff—is of great importance ; and the plan suggested by the Secretary, which il to reduce the

duties on certain articles, and to add to the free lists now taxed and especially such as enter in manufactures, and are not largely or at all, produced in the country, is commended to your candid and careful considera- tion."

The message recommends an increase in the army and navy, in conse- quence of the present extended limits and frontier relations of the country. The total amount of lands disposed of in the fiscal year amounts to 25,846,992 acres: of this number upwards of sixteen millions have been ceded to the State as swamp-lands; and the number of acres brought into the public market is upwards of ten millions. The net profits of the sale of public lands, to June 1853, amounted to 53,289,465 dollars.

The President enters at great length into the question of supporting pub- lic improvements by grants from the Federal Treasury ; and asks at the hands of Congress a deliberate reconsideration of the question, with a hope that a plan may be matured, which may promise something better "than constant strife, the suspension of the powers of local enterprise, the exciting of vain hopes, and the disappointment of cherished speculations." With respect to the Pacific Railroad, the President admits its immense importance; and says it would:seem expedient to aid, "by all constitutional means," in the con- struction of such a road : fully appreciating the magnitude of the subject, for his part the President "will follow the lights of the constitution." "TQ guard against misconception, it should be remarked, that although the power to construct or aid in the construction of a road within the limits of a Territory is not embarrassed by that question of jurisdiction which would arise within the limits of a State, it is nevertheless held to be of doubtful power, and more than doubtful propriety, even within the limits of a Terri- tory, for the General Government to undertake to administer the affairs of a railroad, a canal, or other similar construction ; and therefore that its con- nexion with a work of this character should be incidental rather than primary."

Towards the conclusion of his message, the President earnestly inculcator. fidelity to the guiding principle of the Union—deference for State righte. " It is no part of my purpose to give prominence to any, subject which may properly be regarded as set at rest by the deliberate judgment of the people. But, while the present is bright with promise, and the future full a demand and inducement for the exercise of active intelligence, the pest can never bo without useful lessons of admonition and instruction. If its dangers serve not as beacons, they will evidently Pail to fulfil the object of a wise design. When the grave shall have closed over all who are endeavouring to meet the obligations of duty, the year 1850 will be recurred to as a period filled with anxious apprehension. A successful war had just terminated. Peace brought with it a vast augmentation of territory. Disturbing questions arose, bearing upon the domestic institutions of one portion of the con- federacy, and involving the constitutional rights of the Staters. But, not- withstanding differences of opinion and sentiment which then existed in re- lation to details and specific provisions, the acquiescence of distinguished citizens, whose devotion to the Union can never be doubted, has given re- newed vigour to our institutions, and restored a sense of repose and security to the public mind throughout the confederacy. That this repose's to suffer no shock during my official term, if I have power to avert it, those who have placed me here may be assured. The wisdom of men who knew what inde- pendence cost—who had put all at stake upon the issue of 'the revolutionary struggle—disposed of the subject to which I refer in the only way consistent with the union of these States, and with the march of power and prosperity which has made us what we are. It is a significant fact, that, from the adoption of the constitution until the officers and soldiers of the Revolution had passed to their graves, or through the infirmities of age and wounds,bad ceased to participate actively in public affairs, there was not merely a quiet acquiescence in, but a prompt vindication of, the constitutional tights of the State. The reserved powers were unscrupulously respected." In a long re- view of the increase of population, and hygienic improvement, the Pre- sident calculates that thousands upon thousands now alive will probably "close their eyes on the spectacle of more than 100,000,000 of population em- braced within the majestic proportions of the American Union. It is evi- dent that a confederation so vast and sa varied both in numbe and in territorial extent, in habits and in interests, could ,only be kept ,ntationel• IFcohesion by the strictest fidelity to the principles of the cons to pit ,Us un- derstood by those who have adhered to the most restricted construction of the powers granted by the people and the States. .Interpreted and applied according to those principles, the great compact adapts itself with healthy ease and freedom to an unlimited extension of that benign syetein of fede- rative self-government, of which it is our glorious, and, I trust, immortal charter. Let us, then, with redoubled vigilance be on .our guard' against yielding to the temptation of the exercise of doubtful powers,! even. under the pressure of the motives of conceded temporary advantage and'airpleent tem- porary expediency. - , r, Lig " The minimum of federal government compatible with the mainfehance of national unity and efficient action in our relations with the rest 'ot the world should afford the rule and measure of construction of our powers under general clauses of the constitution." The bast paragraphs of the message allude to the "irreparable loss" of the Vice-President King; whose " long and eminently useful career " terminated on the ,18th April last, at his home in Abthama.