The New York Herald Newspaper, December 19, 1853, Page 4

NEW YORK HERALD. OVPws ¥. ". CORNER OF FULTON AND NASSAU STS. y ALD 2 S dienel Fe VEEP UMA or iota Bhat FA GY gum fe any part of Great Brt.ain, and 9 Wedwane XVIMTT,..... 20... ccceee cee eens -No. 351 AMUSEMENTS THIS EVENING. MBTROPOLITAN BALI —Juiisen’s Comcanr. BOWERY THEATRE, Bowery-Ixcoman—Goon ror Horning —Pook SoLpt a YBLO’S, Broadway—MasanietLo Tre Prove. BURTON'S THEATRE, Chambers strest—Mar nico Love —YounG ActTREsSs—CunisTMas Iv ConmscTiCuT. NATIONAL ‘TRE. Chatham street Afterneen— Barria Katy. bveting—Unoix Tom’s Canin. WALLACK’S THBATRE, Srosdway—Gaue or Lire— Marirr’s Maw. AMERICAN MUS! fternoon—Hor Corn. Bven- ing -Uroun Tox's © Srameen Twins ann Wri> BROADWAY MENAGERI Dersve. BOWERY AMPUITHEA SS, °7 Bowery.—Rausernran Pearonmancrs. x STY'S AMERICAN OPERA HOUSE, 472 B-ond- BrwiorraN MELODIxe BY CHRISTY’S KINSTRELS. WOOD'S MINSTRELS, Wood's Minstrel Hall, 444 Broad- way—Exusoriax MINSTRELSY. BUCKLEY'S OPERA HOUSE, 530 Broadvay.—Bvox: eave Erwiorian Orxna THoure. BANVARD’S GEORAMA, 56 Broadway.—Pasonama or ves Hour ND. BHENISH GALLERY, 663 Brosdway.—Day and Evening. SIGNORBLITZ.—-Sruvvesant Lvs rx, 659 Broadway ACADEXY H. Broadway.—Penmam’s Girt Ex- mimimon oy THE Seven Mice ¥ z. POWELL’S GREAT NATIONAL PAINTING ron THE BN AT THE NATIONAL ACADEMY HOPE CHAPEL, 718 Beesdway.—Jovus’ Paxroseora exe WeRLD IN MINIATURB—Broadway, corner of Whtte street. ——————_—_—_—_—_— jew York, Monday, December 12, 1853, for Europe. THE NEW YORK WEEKLY HERALD, ‘The royal mail steamship Niagara, Captain Leiteh, will feave Bosten on Wedre:day, at 12 o'clock, for Liverpool. Subscriptions and advertisements for any edition ef the New Yors Brratp will be received at the following places tm Europe:— iavrrroor—John Hunter, No. 2 Paradise street. Loxpox—Eé wards, Sandferd & Oo., Cornhill, Wm, Thomas & C). No, 19 Catherine street. Pasts—Living-ton, Wells & Co, 8 Place de ia Bourse. B. H. Ravoil, No 17 Rue de ja Banque, The European mails will close in this city at a quarter ‘to three o’clock to morrow aftercoon. ‘The Weaxiy Hxritp will be published at half past nine e’cloek to-morrow morning. Single copies, ia wrappers, sixpence. Mal x the Pacific. THE NEW YORK§WEEKLY HERALD. The United States mail steamship George Law, Usptain MeGowan, will leave this port to-morrow afternoons, at two o'clock, for Aspinwall. The mails for California and otLer parts of the Pacific will close at one o'clock. ‘The New York Weexty Herat, California edition, con- taining the latest intelligerce from all parts of the world, will be published at ten o'clock to morrow morning. Single copies sixpence. Agents will please send in their orders as early as possible. Tke News. Order reigned in the metropolis yesterday and the freedom of speech was quietly sustained by some ‘wenty thousand persons assembled to listen to the sermon oi the Rev. Mr. Parzons, the street preacher. We furnish graphic reports of his sermon and the various open-air temperauce speeches made in the same neighborhood. We are informed by our special correspondent at Washington, that in czse Secretary Davis should be elected United States Sena‘or for Mississippi, it is understood that the President will piace Hon. Charles J. McDonald st the head of the War Depart- ment. This move is intended to withdraw from the field the strong Southern rights rival of Goy. Cobb for the vacant Senator-hip of Georgia, thus securing to the administration the support in the upper house of Congress of the great chiefs of Mississippi seces- sionism and Georgia Univnisa. The operations of this singular coalition scleme will be developed herc- after. In the meantime, tle str ct adherents tosound national doctrines, in both branches of Coagress, are taking such steps as will be likely to render fatile any further attempts o! the Cabinet to frater- nise with free soilers, secessionists, and disorgan- isers of every grade, for the sake of retaining power, place and the fiogering of the public funds. Look out tor the debate which is expected to come off in the House of Representatives to day on the resolu- tion requiring the President t» appoint and the Se- nate to confirm the Assisant Secretary of the Trea sury. The vote upoa this important resolution will be the first open demonstration of hostility against the Cabinet by that body and the result is conse- quently looked for with much anxiety by all parties. Much anxiety having been expressed with regard to the various homestead propositioas brought for- ward since the opening of Congress, we have deemed it proper to publish in another column the bill re- ported back from the Committee on Agriculture in the House of Representatives, and made the special order of the dey for the second Tuesday in February. This measure, it will be seen, does not materially dit- fer from the one defeated at the last session. It pro- poses to give every Lead of a family, who is a native or naturalized citizen, or has taken the requisite steps to become such, one-quarter of a section of va- cant but surveyed and unappropriated public land— the same to be inh vbited and cultivated for five years» and not to be liable to se‘zure for any debt contracted prior to the issuing of the patent therefor. No per- on will be permitted to make more than one entry, and the only money to be paid will be for the mere expenee of surveying the land and the issuing of the certificaie. One of our special correspondents has taken the trouble to reply to attacks made upon him by one of the city dailies, but the game is hardly worth the ammunition. Those who thought it worth tue trouble would have found a sufficient answer by referring to the despatches forwarded |y our correspondent a reek before the President's message was promulgated. With a President and Cabinet who change their mind and shift their ground almost every twenty- four hours, all that can be done is to give their views for the time being, and our correspondent maintains that he had the highest authority for all he stated. Nothing material has been contradicted by the facts in the message, but {n several instances it was ultimately decided to eay nothing, although the decision of the Cabinet was as stated under our telegraphic head. Several matters mentioned, such a3 internal improvements, the Pacific Railroal, &c., were emeane Soguonnay in the same spirit it was said they would be. Our correspondent did not, of course, profess tostate the language which would be used, as,at the time he wrote, the message was not written. Canadian reciprocity is only generally alluded to in the message, from the fact there stated that it is now under negotiation. It was the same with regard to the Tehuantepec question; and as to the Pacific Railroad, although alinded to, it is to be made the subject of a special message ag soon ag the gurveys are made. Quantum suff. Judge Mason, our new Minister to France, will Jeave in the Atlantic next Saturday. By telegraph from Charleston we have accounts of a great number of maritime disasters, to which the attention of those interested is directed. About the only inference to be drawn from the of ficial statement of the Mayor of Erie, Pa., relative to the recent railroad difficnlties at that place, is, that the rioters were incited to acts of outrage mainly through fear of being deprived of the petty trade in the cake, pie, apple and small beer line which a por taon of thim had hitherto enjoyed. An injunction has been granted by the United States Circuit Court ¢ gainst the city of Erie, and the inuabitants have 68 ordered to refrain from hereafter injuring the vollsond tack os bridges or intericring to preven the restoration of those portions of the road that they have destreyed. We shall now see what attention these lawless people will pay to the decrees of the national court. Dates from Buenos Ayres to the 15th October, an- Bounce that Dr. Obligado had been inaugurated as President. All was quiet in political circles, and bu- siness was becoming very active. The details of the latest Mexican intelligence, pub- lished to-day, furnish some additional facts concern- ing the movements of the fitlibusteros against Lower California, and show that this affair was rather cal- culated to enhance than retard the advances of Santa Anna to imperialism. The Dictator, it was still be- lieved, would take am early opportunity to dispose of a portion of his territesy to the United States, in order to raise funds to cagy.on his newly arranged machivery of govemmecmt: - Some nine are reported to have withdrawm: thef$>m@ from the Baltimore Savings Banky omSaturday, owing to rumors that the institution was eiigaiged in stock speculations. A confession has been made by D. W. Van Aer- nam, in the Canada Bank Fraud case, wherein he gives @ detailed account of the conspiracy practised for th» purpose of obtaining the money. This docu- ment is given elsewhere. It is a curious financial developement, and will be read with interest. The following are merely the headings of a portion of the important matter contained in this day’s issue: Report of the City Temperance Alliance; Political and Gostipping Letters from Georgia and Boston; Central American News; Communications relative to the Dartmoor Prisoners, the Troubles in Peru, and the Auti-Renters; Appeal of the Women’s Rights Party; a variety of European, California, Commer cial, avd Miscellaneous Intelligence, &c. Progress of the Temperance Movement— Plan of the Campaign. The extracts given elsewhere, from the New York .4liance—a paper published by the New York Temperance Alliance-—display pretty fully the movements of the temperance party, and their prospects for the winter campaign, This body bas now been in existence for upwards of ibree years, and seems to have labored with great zeal in the cause to which it was devoted. It endeavored, with only partial success, to en- list the State Legislature on its side during last session: a bill framed on the Maine law passed the Senate, but failed in obtaining the sanction of the House. Turning to our municipal bodies, it attempted to prevent the issue of licenses by the Boards of Excise, apparently on some tech- nical grounds of law; and having been met by a refusal on the part of the boards, made a for- mal application to Judge Bosworth for an in- junction to restrain their authority in the matter. Here, again, the Alliance failed: the Superior Court ruled that it had no jurisdiction? and the temperance party began to see that, to effect anything, it would be compelled to go to the fountain head of power. and work at the polls. Accordingly, the Alliance took an ac- tive part in canvassing on behalf of the amended city charter, for the triamph of which it claims some credit. It likewise exerted itself at the last city election, and asserts that a majority of both boards of the next Common Council are favorable to its views. All the influence it could command was brought to bear upon the State elections ; with what success, we may in- fer from its confident assertion that “seven members of the Assembly, and two, perhaps three, if not all four Senators” from the city, will vote for the Maine law, while two-thirds of both houses are believed to be favorable to its passage. Meanwhile, unwilling to confine its labors to this State, the Alliance took the city of Washington under its care, and petitioned Congress to enact a prohibitory law for the District of Columbia, Such is the record of the past : a record high- ly creditable to the zeal, perseverance and en- ergy of the temperance leaders. Whatever differences of opinion may exist on the abstract policy of such laws a3 the one for which they are contending, there can be no question of the disinterestedness of its advocates. Moreover, to any one who witnesses the awful progress of intemperance in our midst, and recoguises the absolute necessity of checking the pestilence by some temedy or other, the dangers directly arising from @ preservation of our present laws cannot but seem more formidable than those which may be apprehended from an arbitrary curtailment of our natural liberties in respect of eating and drinking. On the one side we have a principle violated, involving buta slight personal inconvenience ; on the other, we have thousands and thousands of our fellow countrymen plunged daily into vice, homes desolated, wives brutalised, children reared in crime, and the jail calendar swelled to a de- gree that no other city has ever witnessed. In presence of such a dilemma, we, for one—and we believe we are speaking the sentiments of the bulk of the people of New York—resolve to silence scruples, and to interpose no obstacle to afair trial of the Maine Liquor law. How it will work in this State—whether it will really check crime, and promote domestic happiness— remains to be seen; but if it only effects half what it promises by its adherents, the boon will be sig- nal, and will entitle ¢hem to lasting gratitude. The public, therefore, look with some interest to the opening of the campaign at Albany. As will be seen from the list of subscriptions given elsewhere, there is no lack of money among the temperance party. They have, according to their own statements, two-thirds of the votes in both houses; and we may rest assured that persevefance and energy will not be wanting among their leaders. These are great advan- tages. Put it would be rash to conclude from them that the victory is already won. Some eight or ten separate and distinct influences will reign at Albany, each commanding a cer- tain proportion of votes, and operating quite independently of party. There are, for instance, to begin with, the railroad and the bank influ- ences, both powerful, unscrupulous, and uncom- promising. The former will be on the alevt to oppose a railroad o¢c\gent bill—the latter to extend thé privileges of free banks. The Canal influence will rally round a separate ban- ner a large party. Then political differences will give birth to several rival parties. We shall have an abolition influence, a national demooratic influence, and an independent whig influence. The Seward free soil influence will command an integral power by itself, and so will the free soil influence, which acknowledges Marcy and Van Buren as its chiefs. To suc- ceed in ite aim, the temperance party will re- quire, if not to conciliate, at least to prevent, these various influences from opposing it di- rectly. Should they remain neutral, we have every reason to believe that the temperance men will carry their law. Should they, on the contrary, through accident, mismanagement, or intrigue, be led into opposition, the fate of the Maine law will be doubtful. Nor must the temperance party lose sight of the fact that the dealers in liquors are a party by no means tobe despised. They are wealthy, active, and unscrupulous: they will leave no stone unturned to defeat a measure which would have the effect of depriving them of « living In their eyes the temperance movement wears all the appearance of an unjust bigoted crusade against a lawful calling; and a belief in the justice of their cause will endow them with fresh energy and vigor. All these considerations render it a matter of some doabt whether the public anticipation in Tespect to the Maine Jaw will be fulfilled or not. Despite the strong prospect in its favor, much will still depend on the skill with which it is managed in the House and much on luck. An untoward accident, a combination among the various influences we have enumerated, for some purpose collaterally hostile to the projects of the temperance party, might defeat it notwith- standing the two-thirds majority. For our part, as we said, we trust the petition which we give in another column, will be attended with sub- stantial fruits. Any plausible cure for so great an cvil as intemperance deserves a fair experi- ment; and on this ground we hope the Maine Liquor law will be carried during the next ses- sion of the Legislature. Orryions or THE Press on THE Fry VeER- pict.—Three out of the five Sunday papers pub- lished here rejoice at the verdict against us in the Fry case, aud testify their satisfaction in abusing us with unusual violence. All three take high moral ground against the Heratp and its editor. How the writers reconcile the morality they inculcate with the morality they practice we are somewhat ata loss to explain: on the face of it it appears inconsistent fora newspaper to preach purity on one page and to publish an obscene tale on another. This, however, is their concern, so far as we are con- cerned. They are quite welcome to exhibit their disregard of decency in one columa and their hatred of us in the next. It concerns us more to notice, in journals possessing a cer- tain circulation and influence, such a readiness to approve a glaring violation of the liberty of the press for the sake of gratifying the pri- vate malice and prejudice of their editors. It may be very soothing to the latter to blacken our character to-day, and to see an attempt made to deprive us of the right of free speech} but to-morrow, perhaps, the case will be re- versed, and a fine of one-quarter the amount we are condemned to pay may crush them entirely and drive their owners into the streets. It is easy to couple our name with coarse epithets; but let any of our maligners rise to such a sta- tion as ours, and they will soon find that calum- ny is the invariable concomitant of success, and that as hard things will be said of them as have ever been uttered of us. They would then deem it extremely unjust if. in a case where they were sued for speaking the truth fearlessly, all the groundless slanders which jealousy, envy and private pique had invented were brought to bear on the minds of the jury, and served as the basis of their ver- dict. And if in that day they were able, as we are, to troat the pecuniary loss with con- tempt, and nerved themselves to continue the contest solely on the broad ground of princi- ple, and in the interests of others weaker and poorer than themselves, they might find it very difficult to speak in measured terms of the folly and meanness of sheets which joyfully proffered a sacrifice of their own freedom in order to deprive them of theirs, A more philosophical and sensible view of the verdict is taken by the bulk of the country press. We select the followisg. as samples of the opinions of our cotemporaries, from two journals whose ability aud character are beyond dispute:— [From the Ayrasuse Republican Dee. 15.] THE BENNETT LI8EL SUIT. The verdict of $10,000 damages rendered against Mr. Bennett, of the New York Hrrazp, at the suit of Fry, the opera manager, for an alleged libellous criticism on the charaster of the performances and patrons cf Mr. Fry's establishment, we regard as the Teatest outrage on justice, common sense, and the lawful freedom of the press, that the judicial records of this country durivg the present century can ex- hibit. We are sure that the public at large who have read the testimony for the defence must have formed a different estimate of the sffair from that as- sumed by the jurors. The case will probably be carried up, and substantial justice be rendered in ac- cordance with the law and the facts—facts which the jury disregarded. (F.om the Je sey City Sentinel and Advertiser, Dec 17.) ONSLAUGHT ON THE HERALD, The slanderous abuse of the New York Heaaty by the Tribwne and Times will justly call forth the contempt and disgust of every candid and dispay sioved observer. The fair, open and energetic course of the Hrraup, has beeu visited with the most bitter vituperation by the contemptible jealousy of its disaffected rivals. A precedent has been establi: hed by the nature of the late verdict which lead to overthrow the free- dom of the press, and, at the same time, subject it to the galling claims of the Offended dignity of every criticised pettifogger. No unbiassed mind can ceu- sure the propriet, of the Hxeaup, and the justness of those remarks that were directed against the i ement of Mr. Fry. The Tribune, without apparently noticing the inconsistency of Mr. Jordaa, or expressing any astonishment at his fluctuating seeeey indulges inthe most laudatory terms, ex- alting the justice of the verdict, and predicting the Most consequential results from its enforcement: “That justice, when pursued properly, can be ob- tained, even against a libeller.”” The ettect of the article of the Z'%mes is identical with that of tre Tribune; both, dreading the increasing prerogative of their antagonist, end aware of the comparatively Gepreciating influence and interest of their own columns, have planned thie onslaught! on the still tri- a age nt he availibility of this issue, if not diszounten- anced by public opinion, will ever be a shallow point in the chanel of our State jurispradence. It will ever be a safeguard for the perpetration of injustice, and a trial for the most trivial grounds of offence. Above all this calumny, the object of its pusillani- mous invectives shows its perfect indifference and are by the cool, dignified and logical manner with which it receives it, and the adaptness and pro- priety of the Hanguage promulgated in its defence. Undaunted still, it avows a full intention of puran- ing the same principles on which it has thus far been elevated to honor and distinction, aud in the adop- tion of such a wise prospectus will undoubtedly tri- umph over all belligerents, leaving them to the dainty repast of a remorseful conscience. Mr, Forsey anp Tue Srarroymry or Tan Hovse or Represeytattves.—We see it re- ported by telegraph, that a Wall street broker has been accepted by the Clerk of the House of Representatives as one of the success- ful contractors for furnishing the necessary sap- plies of statlonery to the House. How this Wall street gentleman happened to know more of the required qualities and prices of letter paper, foolscap, envelopes, penknives, goose quills, &c., than those engaged in the business, itis their business, and not ours, to discuss. But the job seems, upon its face, to be of a piece with the spoils monopoly system of the Cabinet; and in this business Mr. Forney, upon a reasonable construction, is only following the example of Guthrie & Co. The spoils! the spoils! Tue Fura or tux Streers.—The streets never were in so filthy and disgraceful a con- dition since New York was « city as they are at this moment. In passing through Grand street a few days ago we observed a placard erected on a pole over a pile of filth, and in- scribed with the following words:—‘“ Here lie the remains of the Street Inspector.” These mementos might be placed with equal justice in almost every street in the city. Tre Pourcieavit Leorcrrs entertainments are advertised for every evening. “ yan: her rights and her wrongs,’’ will be dished up to-night, and, we have no doubt, with a spicy dressing, Important Trial in the Court of Sessions— ‘The Irish Race in America. trial of the “Fourth of July rioters” is to be continued this day in the Court of Sessions: This will be the fourth day, two days having been consumed in getting a jury. The trial will probably occupy three weeks, there being one hundred witnesses for the prosecution alone, and probably twice as many for the de- fence. The facts of the case are brought strongly to our recollection by seeing among the telegraphic intelligence in yesterday’s Heraup the following fearful account of an Irish riot on the Illinois Central Railroad :— a ee Gan iao, 86. Tee ABBe Abi jot among the rers on the Tinois Central Rellroad, at Lasalle, yesterday, growing out of a reduction of their wages. About two o’c.ock an alt jiom arose between Albert Story, a contractor, and a party of Irishmen, during which one of the latter was shot dead. Short, afterwards Story’s office was attacked and pi 5 and Story, who had concealed himself in a barn, was found and brutally murdered, his head and body being horribly mangled. Mrs. Story was also fired at, bat escaped. It is reported that Mr. Dann, Sto- ’s foreman on the other side of the river, has shot nine laborers. The Sheriff of Lasalle county was speedily on the spot, and, after some resistance, during which one Irishman was shot dead and two wounded, thirty of the rioters were takeu. The ringleader of the rioters has escaped, but measures bave been taken for his apprebension. The taets of the Fourth of July riot in this city are not of so appalling a nature, but there might have been the same story to tell if the disturbance had not been promptly suppressed, or if firearms and other deadly weapons had been at hand. It appears that among other civic societies the Ancient Order of Hibernians marched in procession in honor of the anniversary of the Declaration of Inde- pendence, and some of their number came into collision with an omnibus driver, which led to a general riot, so that ultimately the police, the firemen, and other citizens, be- came actors in the drama. We shall not antici- pate the testimony of the witnesses or the ver- dict of the jury by any one-sided detailed state- ment of the case; but we have just indicated sufficient to show that it was an Irish riot. It is a fact equally melancholy and indisputa- ble, that the Irish in this country, particularly of the working class, are always getting into rows and riots. What is the cause? Why is it that so many of 4 particular race are found taking part in these scenes of violence and bloodshed? The Irish are the most generous, liberal-hearted, industrious and energetic race of modern Europe. They are the most quick- witted, and they are the most enlightened, wherever they have the same opportunities as other nationalities. They are naturally a noble people, endowed with the finest qualities of the human race. What, then, is the cause of their coming into constant collision with the laws, both in their own country and inthis? We sus- pect that it springs from the deleterious influ- ence of the Catholic clergy and hierarchy. This, we apprehend, is the fountain head to which the evil must be traced. The Irish Catholics are taught to believe that their allegiance is due rather to their ecclesiastical rulers than to the laws of the country in which they live. Their bishops and priestsinculcate a blind obedience to their will, instead of a hearty and cheerful submission to the authority of the civil code. They are exhorted to reverence and obeyt a Church whose seat of power is in a foreign land, rather than the institutions of the coun- try of their adoption. , For proof of this we need not go further than the recent rescript of the Catholic Arch- bishop of this diocess, in which he calls on his flock to arm against apprehended attacks. In fact, all the riots and all the difficulties growing out of nativism in this country, have their source in that grand mistake of the Catholic hierarchy in telling the members of their reli- gious denomination that obedience is due to their spiritual superiors rather than to the law of the land. Instead of belonging to the coun- try and the age in which they live, they are in- duced to believe that they belong entirely to the Church, and to a different age. Let any one read the Freeman’s Journal, Brownson’s Re- view, or any of the sacerdotal organs in the United States, and he will find that they breathe the spirit ofthe Catholic Church of the sixteenth century rather than that of the nineteenth. Three centuries ago it was a persecuting Church, aiming at universal dominion over the political world. Then it had power to enforce its authority and extend its rule. A change has since come over the spirit of that dream, and now the Catholic Church in this country is only on the same footing with any other Church, The attempted encroachments and usurpations beyond the prescribed limits of the constitution have naturally produced op- position; and the result is that we have before us two factions--one the intolerant Catholics of the sixteenth century and the other the fierce Puritans of the same age, instead of the humane Christians of the nineteenth century, who seem to have returned to the mild and forbearing spirit of primitive Christianity in the first century, when the Church was not en- dowed by the State, and when there was no assumption of ecclesiastical dictatorship para- mount to ‘ the powers that be.” The innova- tion attempted upon the broad principles of civil and religious liberty established by the constitution is of recent date. When Bishop Dubois bad charge of the diocess there was no disturbance between the Catholic population and other citizens. The evil commenced under the auspices of Bishop Hughes, and it has con tinued under his influence to the present hour Itis an effort to naturalize the imported notions of Italy, and by means of these exotics to supplant that freedom which isthe growth of American soil, and is found nowhere else on the face of the globe. Indeed the pretensions now set up by Catholic prelates in this country belong more to the Italy of other days than to the Italy of the present time. This anomaly—this imperium in imperio—reariag its head among our free institutions, is the cause of the riots of the Irish population, who, in their native land, are taught to hate the law, because there the law is their enemy, and to obey the Catholic clergy, whom they regard almost as their only friends. Here the law would be their friend; but they do not know it. Their old prejudices do not change with the climate; and the first idea that an Irishman of this class has of the United States being a free country is that he may get drunk and do what he pleases with impunity. To him the civil law is synony- mous with tyranny, and freedom from its re- straint is the only liberty Le can comprehend, whilst the only duty he recognizes is implicit obedience to the Church. On the whole, we trust that the men now on trial in ibis city, charged with the riot on the Fourth of July, will have a fair investigation ot their case—that if they are innocent of ‘le charge they may be honorably acquitted, Lut if judge and jury may firm! do their Guty in upholding law and order in thie land of the free. Tne Mircne, Banquet To-pay.—This evening the banquet to which John Mitchel has been invited by the citizens of New York, of all classes and creeds, will be givenin the Broadway theatre, which is floored over the parquette, in continuation with the stage, and is handsomely decorated. A beautiful tent or canopy covers the stage, which has a very pretty effect. The admission of ladies to the boxes is anovel, and. we think, a happy feature in the festivity. It is common in England and other nations of the Old Country, and not only is there nothing objectionable in it, as appears to us, but, on the contrary, it is calculated to produce a salutary influence ou the whole ecene. Were ladies ad- mitted more freely to these gatherings, their presence would have a powerful effect in keep- ing rudeness in check. and preventing impropri- eties, which too often characterise assemblages consisting exclusively of the rougher sex. Itis just as proper for ladies to appear at a banquet of this kind, and enjoy ‘‘the feast of reason and the flow of soul,” as it is for them to attend at a play, an opera, or a ball. Their presenee this evening in the boxes will give éclat to the occasion, while their beauty will lend enchantment to the scene. Very few tickets are now on hand, and such ladies as desire o be present ought not to lose a moment, in gei‘ing their husbands or brothers or sweethe.1ts to procure for them the right of admissic >. The heroic wife of John Mitchel and the rest his“family will occupy two private boxes. The specches will be of the most brilliant des- cription. Mr. Mitchel will make a powerful speech, and Thomas Francis Meagher the best, perhaps, he ever delivered in this country, We understand he intends, chiefly, to speak upon republicanism in Europe. Mr. Richard O’Gorman, who has just returned from Europe with his bride, will be present, and no doubt make an eloquent speech. These, with other speeches expected, will present a galaxy of talent rarely met with on any single occasion. Everything indicates that the affair will be magnificent, and worthy of the first apostle and first martyr of republicanism in Ireland in 1848, We have seen a letter from Archbishop Hughes, apologizing for his inability to attend. In this letter the Archbishop gives Mr. Mitchel a hearty welcome, and bears testimony to the manly integrity of his character, and the disin- terestedness of his patriotism in his native land. We intend to publish a full report of the pro- ceedings. Report or THE SECRETARY or War.—The annual report from the War Department is quite a learned and scientific document. It exhibits very minutely all the requisite details for a clear understanding of the condition of our regular army, our military stations, &c., and is particularly lucid in a general geographical description of that vast Asiatic region of the United States ex- tending from the eastern flank of the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. Indeed, taken in connection with the several surveying parties in the field, in search of the most practicable railroad route to the Pacific, this general description of that extended sys- tem of mountains, plains, volcanic defiles and sandy deserts which must be traversed by any route whatsoever, is indispensable to a clear understanding of the subject to the general reader. Among his recommendations, the Secretary urges the introduction of camels and dromeda- ries, for the army movements and army trans- portation over this aforesaid Asiatic division of our continent: and as the expense of the intro- duction of a gang of camels and dromedaries from the eastern end of the Mediterranean will he ng, compared with the objects in view, it is to be hoped that the experiment will be practically tried without delay. Very likely these animals may prove to be the most invalu- ble auxiliaries in the settlement and develope- ment of the agricultural and mineral resources of Nebraska, Western Texas, New Mexico, Utah, Southern California, and all the States of Mexico, to say nothing of the probable usefulness of the dromedary in running down all the hostile Indians of the deserts and mountains. Therefore, the experiment should be tried upon a liberal scale, In other re- spects, the report, in all its practical bear- ings, is worthy the attention of Congress. One would hardly suppose, in reading this do- cument. that its author is a fire-eating seces- sionist, and the apologist of Guthrie in his free soil coalition spoils policy. But as we cannot discover that these camels and dromedarics have anything to do with the great national issuee between the Cabinet and country, let them be brought in. Tur Aztec Cumprex—From our ‘Central American correspondence, published in yester- day's Heraxp, we find that a San Salvador pa- per has denounced the imposition practised first on the American people, and then upon Euro- pean nations, by the exhibition of “ the Aztec children” as specimens of a race of priests said to be discovered in Central America. We well recollect the history of these humbugs in the United States, At first they were represented merely as Central American dwarfs; but that did not take, and an ingenious philosopher in this city was employed to write an account of their birth, parentage, and race, tracing them toa tribe of priests whose stature was dimin- ished to that of dwarfs by the breed being kept for thousands of years from any ‘cross’’ or admixture with other families. And it was confidently stated that a whole tribe of such Liliputians existed in Guatemala. This me- moir was first published in the columns of the most pious of our cotemporaries in this city; and the rest of them, knowing the whole thing tobe a pure fiction, lent it currency, and as- sisted actively in palming off the imposture upon acredulous public. The Hera was the only exception. It exposed the humbug and told the truth, defying the power of wealth and the intrigues of bribery. Now, the San Salvador editor bears us out, and calls the entire story a sheer and shallow fabrication; and further in- forms us that the prolific mother of these mon- strous and disgusting idiotic objects is at San Migucl, and that she has plenty left of the same sort. We learn by the last accounts from England, that their exhibitor is imposing them on Jobn Bull as real and veritable specimens of an Aztec race of priesthood. We do not wonder so much at the English editors deceiving the community. and being deceived themselves. But here the facts were all known, and the hambug was ex- ploded ; yet the pious, moral and Christian press of this city, continued to pass it off as genuine current coin. We nailed the rap to the counter ; and now the Central American editor puts another nail in this base counterioit. Toe Srreer Preacuwa Arram—Fren Sreeca Voypicarep—Law ann ORDER PREY SERVED.—The public meeting sppointed yes- terday for the benefit ofthe Rev. Mr. Parsons, the street-preacher, (at the very shipyard where he was arrested the Sunday before, by order of the Mayor, for fear of exciting a col- lision with the Catholics.) came off according to appointment, and without a disturbance or interruption of any kind. Our reporters have given full account of the proceedings on this very interesting occasion, which wi:l be found elsewhere in our columns this morning. The excitement concerning the arrest of this volunteer apostle against the Roman Catholic hierarchy was instantly diffused throughout the city after the indignation mass meeting in the Park on Wednesday night last. That large assemblage, so suddenly called together, ap- peared to indicate a widespread secret poli- tico-reMgious organization, waiting only for something like a provocation for open and active measures. Our late city elections, the preaohing of Gavazzi, the visit of the Pope’s nuncio, Bedini, &c., were all certainly turned to account by certain parties, systemati- cally and deliberately, as was abundantly manifest in the speeches at the Park meeting. On the other hand, the violent course of the Freeman’s Journa/—unjustly, no doubt, attributed to the direction of Archbishop Hughes—had wrought up the Catholics toa cor; responding pitch of excitement ; and such was the state of things when the Mayor’s proclama- tion, the pastoral card of the Archbishop, and the letter of Patrick Lynch, were issued to the public on Friday and Saturday. But this pro- clamation’and these letters only appeared to ex- tend the general appr@ensions of a scrious riot from the gathering expected at the shipyard on Sunday. The quiet and orderly manner, there- fore, in which that assemblage met and heard, the orator of the day, and others, and then dis- .., persed, was or should be considered a highly gratifying and satisfactory conclusion to all parties concerned—to one party that the free- dom of speech was vindicated eo smoothly, to another party that they had prudently ab- stained from ali interference on the occasion, and to our citizens at large, of all parties, that the peace of the city, the supremacy of the laws,’ and the quiet of the Sabbath, were not disturbed, by violence and confusion. ‘ The liberty of speech has been construed by the people on the very spot where the right was infringed, and in behalf of the identical in- dividual arrested; and this interpretation of the law, it is to be hoped, will hereafter be con- ceded by the Mayor, by Catholics and Protes- tants, and all others interested, as the only judgment from which there is no appeal. BantsuMENtT oF GENERAL WooL.—From a te- legraphic despatch published in yesterday’s Hr- RALD, we learn that the administration have decided on banishing General Wool to Calitor- nia. No doubt General Wool will obey the orders he has received. This patriotic officer understands the importance of discipline in the army, and he is too loyal to it, and to all the institutions of the country, to show »n example of insubordination by refusing to > >mply with the commands of those whom th° constitution and the laws have placed in authority over him. He will, therefore, car y into exécu- tion the orders of his military superiors, first by going to California, at the time and in the manner prescribed, and second- ly by fulfilling, when he arrives there, bis instruc- tions, both in the letter and the spirit thereof. But we rather suspect the motives of the ad- ministration in this matter, and that they qre influenced by the same feeling that prompted the Polk administration to get rid of Scott in the Mexican war. They sent him to Mexieo in or- der tohave him out of the way, while they took care that he should reap as few laurels as possible trom the victories. They pitted him against Gencral Taylor, and kept up “a fire in the rear’ to damage his reputation, because the y understood he was a candidate for the Presidency. The discontent and divisions among the democracy in this State, in conse- quence of the operations of the Spoils Cabinet, have set them casting about for some popular candidate for the next Presidency ; and lest they might stumble on General Woel, Marcy thinks it advisable to send him out of the way. Towever, we advise General Wool to obey or- ders and go to California. He has plenty of friends in the Atlantic States who will not forget him in his absence, er permit this ruse of the administration to have the intended effect. New Movements of THE ADMINISTRATION. — One of the first things,expectcd from the Senate, now, is some action upon the unconfirmed ap- pointments of the President and his Cabinet, especially the appointment of Mr. Redfield. That case comprehends pretty much the merits of the whole controversy in a nut-shell. But it appears, from our telegraphic advices from Washington, that the appointment has not yet been laid before the Senate, and will probably be held back, in view of a new movement or two on the political chess board. It is supposed that Mr. Davis will soon be transferred from the War Department to the Senate, and that Mr. Charles J. M‘Donald, of Georgia, (late Pre- sident of the Nashville Disunion Convention,) will take the place of Davis in the Cabinet. This move would make the way clear for Mr. Cobb to the Senate, and it is thought that it may bring up all the Southern Union democrats to the aid of the Cabinet in both houses of Con- gress. Well, weshall sce, But why this dclay with Mr. Redfield? Are ihe Cabinet afraid, with sixteen democratic majority in the Senate? The election of Tucker did not, perhaps, mean any thing. Try Redfield. Tue Navy Looxmxa Ur.—We are gratified to learn that the Committee on Naval Affairs, of the House, agreeably to the recommenda- tions of Mr. Secretary Dobbin, have resolved to bring in a bill making an appropriation of three millions of dollars for the construction of six steam propellers, of the first class, for the United States Navy. This isa good beginning in the practical work of reform; but the next thing is the reorganization of the personnel of the navy. Put some vitality into the service—put the old fogies on the retired list. Give Young America a chance in these propellers, Let not these things be forgotten by the Naval Commit- tee. Superannuated old heroes in new ships are ag much out of place as new wine in old bottles, Five Days Larrk From Para—Loss oy tite Sreaser Rio Neoro,— By the arrival of the brig Chatsworth from Pars, Noy. 10, we are informed by Capt Brown that the stenm- er Rio Negro, belonging to the Amazon Company, recent- ly «truck on a reef in the Amazon river, near the mouth of the Madirs, and will probably be @ total Jorn. The Marajo, also belonging to the same company, had just‘returned from Nanta, in Peru. The two small steamers for navigating the Perariam rivers were nearly ready, and would leave Para towards the end ef November for their destination.