Wilmington Journal

The following Mexican news is of so important a character, that we have devoted a much larger space in our columns to its details than our limits would seem to justify. It arrived here by means of the Charleston Courier's express on Sunday morning last.

From the N. O. Picayune, May 8—1 o'clock, P. M.

LATER FROM MEXICO.

Gen. Scott has left Mexico for New York—Court of Inquiry adjourned and now sitting in New Orleans—Probable ratification of the Treaty—Arrival of the Steamer New Orleans—Later from the City of Mexico.

The U. S. steamer New Orleans, Capt. Edward Auld, arrived on Sunday evening from Vera Cruz, having sailed thence on Wednesday, the 3d inst. The ship made capital passages both going and coming.

Gen. Scott and suit left the city of Mexico on the 22d ult., and arrived at Vera Cruz on Sunday, the 30th. He immediately embarked on the brig St. Petersburg for New York, under a salute from Forte Conception. He was waited upon by the commander of the fleet and received a salute from the flag ship Cumberland. On Monday, the 1st inst., the St. Petersburg was towed to sea by the propeller Thompson. In passing the store ship Relief and frigate Cumberland, their rigging was manned and three cheers given the old hero. On the 3d inst., the General exchanged visits with Com. Perry and was saluted by the flag ship Cumberland.

Among the passengers on the New Orleans, were Gen. Pillow and staff, Gen. Towson, Gen. Cushing and staff, Col. Belknap, Col. Childs, Col. Duncan, Col. Withers, and a large number of officers.

So desperate at one time was thought the chance of bringing together a quorum of Congress, that the President had determined to exclude the States of New Mexico, Chihuahua and Yucatan in estimating the representation, so that a smaller number may constitute a quorum. Subsequent events led him to believe that a quorum could be obtained, and the President re-considered his determination.

Special Correspondence of the Picayune.

CITY OF MEXICO, April 26, 1848.

Gen. Pillow left here on Sunday, the 22d inst., with an escort of Louisiana Mounted men, under command of Capts. Fairchild and Ker. The night before he left he was serenaded by the splendid band of the 2d Infantry, and the next morning a large number of officers accompanied him some distance upon the road. The Court of Inquiry left on the 24th.

In my last letter I stated that Gen. Butler was to review the volunteers in the city on the 22d inst. The review was far more extensive than I was informed it would be, and came off on the plain fronting Molino del Rey. The divisions of Gens. Worth and Pillow, the former consisting of five regiments of infantry of the old line, a squadron of horse, and Col. Duncan's battery, now commanded by Lieut. Hunt, and the latter of the six regiments of Kentucky, Tennessee and Indiana volunteers, were reviewed, and the line when extended, was over a mile in length. This is the largest review that has been during the war, and all present confessed it was the most magnificent military display they had ever beheld.—A melancholy interest was added to the spectacle, by the display of the torn and battered colors of the 4th, 5th and 6th regiments of Infantry, as they marched by the General-in-Chief. On the 24th, the fine division of Gen. Smith was reviewed by the General in-Chief, and its maneuvering elicited the admiration of every military man present. These reviews were in anticipation of the possibility of a forward movement being soon required; and you will perceive by the enclosed general order, that the inspection of all the troops in and about the city is ordered on the 30th inst.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF MEXICO,

[Orders No. 75.]

MEXICO, April 24, 1848.

1—The troops in the city of Mexico, at San Angel, Tacubaya, Chapultepec and Molino del Rey, will be mustered and inspected on the 30th inst.

The regular troops will be mustered by their respective regimental commanders—detached companies by company commanders; the volunteers at San Angel, by such staff officers at Major General Patterson's headquarters as he may designate; the 3d and 4th regiments Kentucky Volunteers, in the city, by Brevet Maj. R. C. Buchanan, acting Inspector General, and Capt. E. R. S. Canby, Assistant Adjutant General, respectively; the 3d and 4th regiments Tennessee, and 5th Indiana volunteers, at Molino del Rey, by Capts. Cady, 6th Infantry, W. Chapman, 5th Infantry, and B. Alvord, 4th Infantry, respectively.

The several officers designated to muster the troops will refer all questions on which they may desire information, to Lieut. Col. Hitchcock, acting Inspector General, and receive his instructions accordingly.

The duplicate "muster rolls" will be forwarded by the inspectors to the Adjutant General U.S. Army, and the "muster and pay rolls for the pay department to Paymaster A. D. Steuart.

2—Paymaster A. D. Steuart and 1st Lt. P. V. Hagner are announced as the chief of the pay and ordnance departments with this army, respectively. All orders relative to their departments given by them, in the name and by the authority of the commanding general, will be obeyed and respected accordingly.

By order of Major Gen. Butler:

L. THOMAS, Ass't. Adi't General.

In my last letter I stated that Col. Withers, of the 9th Infantry, had gone home on leave. I have learned since that he has tendered his resignation.

The letter of your Queretaro correspondent of the 23d inst., which I send you, is full of interest, and some of his information is important. The extracts from the message of Pena y Pena to the members of Congress now at Queretaro, show that Pena y Pena fully realizes the dangerous position of the nationality of the country, should the treaty not be ratified in season—and also shows an energetic determination to spare no effort to bring about peace. The passage in the conclusion of the message quoted by your correspondent, in which Pena says—“and in order not to incur the terrible responsibility of losing the nationality of the country, the Executive will dictate extraordinary measures, which he never would have adopted if circumstances were not so very difficult and dangerous”—I presume refers to the intention of the President to decree that, in consequence of the condition of Yucatan, and other States, arising from the war, a certain number (less than the constitutional quorum) shall form a quorum. It is probable he will have to resort to this measure, as it is understood here that several Congressmen, who are not willing to oppose the treaty by a direct vote, intend to defeat it by breaking the quorum, whenever the question is put.

The paragraph in the letter relative to the sermon of the Padre Sanchez, is at this moment very important. It was supposed, that in consequence of the amendments made by the Senate of the United States to the clause of the treaty relating to the recognition of the Mexican church, in the territory proposed to be ceded to us, that the clergy would oppose the ratification of the treaty, or at least require that the clause be reinserted. Not so, however. Your correspondent is right in representing the Padre Sanchez as the organ of the clergy, and a great majority of them favor the ratification of the treaty as it stands. The clergy of this city, fearing the inability of Pena y Pena to raise the forced loan of $150,000 to $200,000 in Queretaro, for the purpose of assembling Congress and supporting the Government, (which, when translated, means for the purpose of bribing the factious Congressmen,) held meetings in the Cathedral to-day and yesterday, over which the bishop presided, for the purpose of discussing the propriety or expediency of advancing the sum required by Pena y Pena, and to-day they resolved upon loaning the money from the funds of the church. I understand the whole sum will be sent to Queretaro to-morrow.

These facts, to my mind, settle the question as to whether the treaty will be ratified or not, in the affirmative.

The individual referred to as having been baptised with so much pomp at Queretaro, and who had the honor of having Pena y Pena stand at the baptismal font as his godfather, is, without a doubt, the Lieut. O'Sullivan, I have already spoken of as having resigned his commission in the 3d Infantry and gone to Queretaro to join the enemy. He is not a legal deserter, but all the dishonor of moral guilt will ever attach itself to his name.

The commissioners will not leave for Queretaro, until the 29th or 30th inst. In the meantime, the troops which are to form the escort are being inspected daily, and are being prepared to present a fine appearance, in point of clothing and equipments.

A few officers from the train from Orizaba, under command of Captain Howe, came in in advance to-day, and the train is expected to arrive to-morrow or the day after.

It is reported in town to-day that there is a quorum of Congress at Queretaro, but I cannot trace it to an authentic source.

QUERETARO, April 23, 1848.

The Secretary of the Treasury expresses himself as follows in relation to the forced loan of $150,000 or $200,000, which will be employed exclusively by the Government to pay the necessary expense in assembling the General Congress, and for its support in this city for two months:

"You will perceive according to the advices published in the papers of the capital, how short a time there remains for us to ratify the treaty of peace, celebrated between our Republic and the United States of America.—In order that that treaty should be exchanged at Washington on the 2d of June, it is indispensable that it should be ratified at the latest, on the 15th of May next, and I doubt if it can be done if the Congress does not get together immediately. A multitude of unfortunate circumstances have prevented, until now, a reunion of Congress, and the principal one has been the want of money to give the Senators and Deputies for their necessary wants in this capital. Government has made the greatest efforts to realize this sum but without success, and having expended all its resources, his Excellency the President has, in order to facilitate the meeting of Congress, resolved that all the capitalists and persons of easy circumstances in this city, shall, to assist the Government, under the title of a loan, advance a sufficient amount of money to pay for two months the per diem of the Senators and Deputies of the General Congress. Once a quorum has been assembled, Congress will dictate the necessary laws to create such funds and resources as the Government may want to continue its existence."

He concludes thus:

"His Excellency the President thinks that the salvation of the Republic imperatively demands the prompt meeting of Congress, and in order not to incur the terrible responsibility of losing the nationality of the country, the Executive will dictate extraordinary measures, which he never would have adopted if circumstances were not so very difficult and dangerous."

God and Liberty!

ROSA.

The priest Sanchez, the clergy's organ in one of his sermons, preached on Friday night last, the 21st inst., (Good Friday,) in the Church of Santa Clara, at which the greater part of the members of the Administration, and of the members of Congress that is about to meet, were present: Gentlemen—The only way to save the Republic, and—in pardoning the injuries you have received—to prove yourself Christians, is to make peace."

Yesterday an American officer, a deserter of the 3d Infantry of the line, was baptised in this city with great pomp. He had for his godfather the President of the Republic, Pena y Pena.

I wrote you yesterday, and enclosed a translation of a letter from your Queretaro correspondent, containing highly important information. Lest my communication may miscarry I now send you the original letter. Our commissioners have not yet received an answer to their communication to the Government at Queretaro relative to the escort. Gen. Butler, a day or two since, was requested by the Mexican Government to allow some Mexican troops to enter this city to take possession of a quantity of army clothing left in one of the convents when the Mexican army evacuated the city. Gen. Butler, instead of granting the request, seized the clothing. It would not now be surprising if the Mexican Government were to ask the arms taken in the different actions to be returned. It would be in keeping with the modest relation to the clothing.

The mail is in from Queretaro, and should there be a letter from your correspondent, I will endeavor to forward it by the Mexican Vera Cruz mail which leaves here at 10 o'clock to-night, an hour from hence.

D. S.

MEXICO, April 26, 9½ P. M.

I have just received a letter from your Queretaro correspondent of the very latest date, and hasten to give you a rough translation:

QUERETARO, April 25, 1848,

The preparatory union of Congress have retaken their usual course, and few of the Deputies are wanting for a quorum. Queretaro, politically speaking, presents a most animated aspect, and nothing is talked of but peace.—In every quarter there are warm discussions upon this grand question. The most vehement party for war is, without doubt, the army, but it has fallen so low in public estimation and is so numerically weak that it is doubtful if they can get up a pronunciamento, as it was publicly rumored here within the last few days they would.

Attention! To-morrow there is to be a meeting of the officers of the Artillery. The object of the meeting is not positively known. Some say that it is to deliberate upon the possibility of sending reinforcements to Gen. Landero; others say the meeting is called to pronounce against the Government, who have affected a loan to pay the Deputies and Senators, their per diem for the last two months, and who have done nothing for the army.

It was rumored to-day that the American Commissioners would be here this afternoon. The Charge d'Affaires of France, Monsieur le Marquis de Renepont, is here.

Gen. Landero is, as you are aware, the general who signed the capitulation of Vera Cruz and the Castle of San Juan de Ulloa.