

 Government suspended for neutrais the continental blockade, which was then very strict, and opened to their vessels the ports of Antwerp and St. Sebastian. The mercantile interest of the United 1 States, the only one, in fact, to which this appeal was addressed, answered It by sending out numerous vessels, and upon faith of the imperial decree, the American flag appeared in the two ports above mentioned.

 In the meanwhile a new decree was issued. in virtue of which the vessels and their cargoes were conhscated to the State. This violation of political faith called forth cry ofindignation in Anne rica, and the Government was soon forced to pursue the redress of these le- gitimate grievances by means of nego- tiation. The Imperial Government, however, was drawing near it's ruin.- The claims of the Republic weresearee- 1 ly listened to, and, properly speaking, it was only from the time of the claims being made that the negotiations dated, which were set on foot with France by the United States, for the payment of indemnities, computed at , or 10 mil lions of dollars. Since that period, not a Minister of the United States has come to France, nor has a French Min ister departed for Washington, without the question of the indemnities figuring in the first line of his instructions Every year naturally brings it forward in the Message at the opening of the Legislative Session; and if in 1899, 1t seems to have taken in the mouth of General Jackson, certain tone of ac- Fimony,i it is because the General wished to display in the eyes of the country, upon lis accession to power, an earnest solieitude for the injured interests of his fellow-citizens. The opening of the 1 Congress, moreover, coincided with the appointment of a new American Envoy to the Court of France, and the Presi- dent wished that from his official lan- guage, judgment should be formed of l the nature of the instructions given to the new Minister of the Repubiie.- France never contested the legitimacy of the claims of the Amefieanmerchants. Their amount may probably be subject ed to ulterior negotiations; but the prin- ciple of indemnity in itself is altogether admissible. There is, however, another l question which cannot be separated from that of the indemnity, in the course of the negotiations. The 8th article of the treaty by which France ceded Lou isiana to the United States, stipulated positively that France should be treated in the seas and ports of Louisiana upon the footing of the most favored nation. Now, 1t is a fact, that England 1ajoys there at this moment commercial adyan- tages superior to those Of France. It is in vain for the United States to reply that these advantages granted to Eng land are the result of other advantages secured by her to America, and that the Sth article of the cession treaty could not have given to France the power of enjoying, without compensation, privi- leges in exchange for which other pow CTS would secure special advantages to the United States, The terms of the Sth article are clear and positive. In our view 1t cannot be seriously contest ed. In it's spirit, as well as ill its text, this article secured to France, as com pensation for her right of property over so vast line of territory, the prospect of being treated upon the footing of the most favored nation; and England en- joys, in the seas at Louisiana, more favor than France. We sincerely wish that the future negotiations may remove the pernicious germ of discord between the two countries, and that their Govern ments may be deeply impressed before hand, with the immediate interest they have in drawing more closely than ever their political and commercial rela- tions.o

 The only alteration, says a London paper, contemplated in. the arrangement of the Cabinet, is the temporary retire ment of Mr. Vesey Fitzgerald; and we believe that even that alteration is not altogether certain.

 Szoeflen.-The Swedish Diethas voted 746,000 rix-dollars silver for the con- pletion of the canal of Getha, and 2,S20,G00 rix-dollars for the fortresses and general defence of the kingdom.

 Deanaark.-We learn from Copenha- gen, that the last male descendant of the celebrated Marshal de Levendhal.