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property, and to punish wrong, but for unlawful purposes; that the election of General Whitefield to a seat in Congress was not held in pursuance of any valid law; that the election of the contesting delegate, Mr. Reeder, was also invalid; that in the existing condition of the Territory a fair election could not be held without a new census, a stringent and well-guarded election law, the selection of impartial judges, and the presence of United States troops at every place of elec tion. A minority report of the committee declared the statements of the majority to be in many cases untrue; and so, after a long investigation, both political parties in the Territory and throughout the country were dissatisfied with the result.

Kansas affairs not only claimed the direct action of Congress, but were the exciting cause of warm debates. On one of these occasions an event occurred which created a profound sensation throughout the Union and attracted attention and remark abroad. In the Senate, on the 20th of May, Mr. Sumner of Massachusetts, in the course of a long speech on the subject of Kansas affairs, commented with much asperity upon the course pursued by Senator Butler of South Carolina, and others. After the adjournment of the Senate, on the 22d, Mr. Sumner remained at his desk engaged in writing. While so engaged, Preston S. Brooks, a member of the House of Representatives, and a nephew of Senator Butler, accosted Mr. Sumner and commenced beating him with a heavy cane. Mr. Sumner was so much injured, that for many days his life was in great peril, and he was not able to attend to his duties in the Senate during that and the succeeding session, and it was four years before he was pronounced convalescent. The House of Representatives voted on a motion to expel Mr. Brooks, but not receiving the requisite two-thirds majority, it failed to pass. Mr. Brooks immediately resigned his seat, but was soon re-elected by his constituents without opposition.

At the presidential election of this year, the question of the extension of slavery into Territories already free, assumed a form and dimensions sufficient to overshadow all other national topics, and under its influence new political organizations had grown up. For more than a year previous to the election, a new party, composed of men of all political creeds, united in opposition to the extension of slavery, had been gathering force and bulk, and assumed great proportions when the election occurred. This was named the Republican party. Another and much older organization, at first secret in its operations, and known as the American, or Know-Nothing party, had become a great political power in the country, its chief bond of union being opposition to foreign influence and interference in our domestic concerns, and the domination of Roman Catholicism in our political affairs. The old Democratic party, dating its organization at the election of President Jackson, in 1828, still possessed its prestige and power, but had become divided and weakened by internal feuds and outside pressure, while the old Whig party was virtually annihilated as a distinct organization

having vitality. The candidates of the Democratic party were James Buchanan for President, and John C. Breckinridge for Vice-President, and they were elected, each receiving one hundred and seventy-four electoral votes. John C. Fremont for President, and William L. Dayton for Vice-President, received one hundred and fourteen electoral votes from the Republicans. The American party nominated Millard Fillmore for President, and Andrew J. Donelson for Vice-President, and carried the electoral vote of Maryland.

Congress made grants of public lands in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin, to aid in constructing railroads in those States. Each alternate section, six sections wide, on each side of the roads, were granted, and the remaining sections belonging to the United States were not to be sold for less than double the usual price, and before being sold to individuals they should be offered for sale at public auction at the enhanced price.

Indian hostilities continued in Oregon and Washington Territory. On the 25th of March, about eight hundred Indians attacked Cascades, in Oregon, and burned every building in the town, and killed numbers of the citizens; they also destroyed the steamer Mary. In the neighborhood of Vancouver they burned and laid waste the whole country. A fight took place in Washington Territory, on the 10th of March, between the volunteers and the Indians, in which more than twenty-five of the savages were killed.

The schemes of Walker in Nicaragua continued to attract public attention in this country. During the winter, an alliance of the Central American States was formed against Walker, and hostilities were instituted, which lasted all this year and until the following spring, when he was compelled to abandon the country.

Baltimore was subjected to riot and lawlessness in the autumn. On the 12th of September the 17th Ward House, on Light Street, was attacked by the "Rip-Rap" and "Wampanvag" clubs, and, in the affray which ensued, one man was killed and some twenty men badly wounded. The streets where the contest took place presented the appearance as if cart-loads of bricks had been strewed about. On the 8th of October, a desperate struggle took place between the "RipRap" club and the New Market Fire Company, which was a bloody and protracted battle. A great many persons were wounded and carried from the ground, and the drug-shops near the scene of action were filled with the wounded and dying. At the election, on the 4th of November, a prolonged and desperate fight took place between some Democrats and Knownothings. Armed and organized associations belonging to both political parties resorted to fire-arms, with which they were liberally provided. Individual combats and minor affrays occurred at a number of polls, but the most serious took place in the vicin ity of the Second and Eighth wards, where eight persons were killed and about one hundred and fifty wounded.

Very serious disturbances took place in the month of May, in San Francisco. The immediate occasion was the murder of James King, the editor of the San Francisco Bulletin, by James P. Casey, editor of the Sunday Times. Casey, who had been an inmate of the State Prison at Sing Sing, N. Y., became somewhat prominent as a politician on his arrival in California. Mr. King in his paper referred to this, and charged Casey with having fraudulently procured his election to office. On the 14th of May, Casey shot Mr. King in the street; an intense excitement was at once aroused, which resulted in the organization of a Vigilance Committee. Thousands of the leading citizens armed and enrolled themselves on this Committee. In two or three days the organization was complete, when they proceeded to the prison where Casey was confined and compelled the officers to surrender him, together with a notorious gambler and murderer, who had escaped punishment by a disagreement of the jury who tried him. The two malefactors were tried by the Committee, found guilty, and executed on the open street. The Committee now determined to deal with the desperadoes and bullies who infested the city, and had acquired a controlling influence in the elections. Some were warned to leave and others arrested and confined for trial. The opponents of the Committee held a mass-meeting on the 2d of June, but the sentiment of the community appeared to be adverse to them. The Governor of the State issued a proclamation calling out the militia to suppress the illegal action of the Committee, but it was faintly responded to, while the forces at the disposal of the Committee were largely increased. Their rooms were converted into a fortress, and a regular system of vigilance was established. They finally succeeded in their efforts for establishing peace and justice in the city, and disbanded on the 18th of August, on which occasion more than five thousand of their adherents marched in parade in celebration of the event.

The cold weather was very severe at New York early in February, and on the 10th the East River was bridged over by ice and streams of people crossed over.

The community was startled early in the year by the discovery of forgeries to an immense amount, committed by Charles B. Huntington, of New York. The forged paper was used mainly as collateral security for the purpose of raising money, and was for a considerable time redeemed before maturity. The counsel of the forger, on the trial, in his defence set up the plea of moral insanity, and stated that the aggregate amount of the forgeries was fifteen to twenty millions of dollars.

The railroad bridge, fifteen hundred and eighty-two feet in length, crossing the Mississippi at Rock Island, Ill., was completed this year.

The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, extending from Chicago to the Mississippi; The Chicago and Fort Wayne, from Chicago to Fort Wayne; the extension in Iowa of the Chicago and Rock Island, from the Mississippi to Iowa

City; the Penobscot and Kennebec, between Bangor and Watervill -were all completed this year. The first railroad in California, that from Sacramento to Folsom, twenty-two and a half miles in length, was opened for travel on the 22d of February..

The first street-railway in New England was the Cambridge Railroad, constructed in the streets of Boston and Cambridge, and it was opened for travel on the 26th of March. Street-railways, at this period, were considered so much of an experiment, that the originators of this road experienced great difficulty in obtaining subscriptions to its stock and bonds, and the contractors themselves were obliged to take nearly the whole amount.

The first passage of a vessel to Europe, through the great lakes, was this year made direct from Milwaukee by means of the Welland Canal and the St. Lawrence River.

On the 17th of March, Miss Adelaide Phillips made her début in opera at the Academy of Music, New York, in the character of Azucena, in "Il Trovatore."

The introduction of sorghum or Chinese sugar-cane, into the United States, was made this year. The Patent-office Department at Washington obtained some seeds from France, and Mr. Orange Judd imported one thousand barrels of the seed for distribution among the patrons of his newspaper.

The first manufacture of condensed milk, in this country, was commenced in Litchfield County, Conn.

The first experiments with the Bessemer process for the production of steel, were made at the Phillipsburg furnace, in Warren County, N. J. The iron used was obtained from a mine in Sussex County, which was opened before the Revolution, and during it was taken possession of by the government, the owners being principally Tories. After the war the mine was abandoned until the year 1847.

The first wooden pavement in Chicago was laid on Wells Street, of about eight hundred square yards, and proved a suc

cess.

The old and memorable Charter Oak, at Hartford, was blown down early in the morning of the 21st of August. Crowds of citizens visited the place, and carried away mementoes of the venerable tree. A dirge was played at noon, and the bells of the city were tolled at sundown.

A submarine cable from the mainland to Nantucket was successfully laid on the 21st of August.

The passengers who left New York, in April, for California, by the way of Nicaragua, suffered severely in the passage. They found the transit across the Isthmus closed, but about three hundred of them determined to push on. At Granada they were detained a month, during which time seventy-nine died. Proceeding, at length, across the lake, a number more perished. The survivors reached San Juan del Sur, and embarked on board the steamer for San Francisco. Sickness

broke out among them, and thirty-three died on the passage. Nearly one half died between Granada and San Francisco.

Last Island, a summer resort in the Gulf of Mexico, was struck by a terrific storm in August, which raged three days. The island was entirely submerged, and every house destroyed, involving the loss of about three hundred persons, who were drowned.

The French steamer Le Lyonnais, which left New York on the 30th of October, was run into by a sailing-vessel on the night of the 2d of November, and foundered. The sailing-vessel was lost sight of at once, and it was supposed she sunk. The passengers and crew, numbering one hundred and thirty-two persons, betook themselves to the boats and a raft which was hastily constructed. One of the boats was picked up four days after; it had contained eighteen persons, but two of them froze to death. Vessels were at once despatched for the missing boats and raft, but without success, and it was presumed all their passengers were lost.

The Atlantic steamer Pacific left Liverpool for New York on the 23d of January, with forty-five passengers and one hundred and forty-one officers and crew, and she was never heard from. The American ship Ocean Wave, on her voyage from Rotterdam to New York, came in collision with a British vessel and sunk in a few minutes, carrying down seventy-seven persons, mostly German emigrants. On the 20th of February, the packet-ship John Rutledge was struck by an iceberg and went down. The passengers and crew numbered one hundred and fifty-six persons, who took to the boats. One of these was picked up on the 28th, but of the thirteen persons who went on board the only survivor was a young sailor; the others had died under their privations and sufferings. The other boats were never heard from. There was a large number of railroad and other disasters in the month of July, by which one hundred and seventy persons were killed, and as many more seriously injured. A wharf at the foot of Reed Street, Philadelphia, gave way on the 7th, and more than a hundred persons were precipitated into the water, between twenty and thirty of whom were drowned. An excursion-train, filled with the scholars and teachers of St. Michael's Church, left Philadelphia by the North Pennsylvania Railroad on the 16th, and came in collision with a regular down train, both running at great speed. Five cars of the excursiontrain were shivered into fragments, and were set on fire from the engines. Many of those who were imprisoned by the wreck were burned to death, and still a larger number were killed outright or dreadfully wounded by the collision. The total loss of life was not less than sixty. On the 17th, the Lake Erie steamer Northern Indiana caught fire while on her passage from Buffalo to Toledo, and in a few moments was burned to the water's edge In attempting to launch the life-boat, which was filled with passengers, the cranes gave way and all the occupants were plunged into the water. A large number of the passengers who had leaped into the water to escape the flames were drowned; the

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