NEWS BY THE PANAMA MAIL. (From the DAILY TIMES, April 15 )

Otago Witness, Issue 803, 20 April 1867, Page 1

NEWS BY THE PANAMA MAIL. (From the DAILY TIMES, April 15 )

This European news received by the Mataura, has been forestalled by that to Tiand by the Suez route ; the items which ■were omitted in consequence of the departure of the Rangitoto, before the intelligence by Anglo Indian Telegraph reached Melbourne, have been supplied to us by <wav of Sydney, and pub!i«hed ; and although the letter of our London correspondent will be read with interest, the principal Iresh news concerns only the affairs of America. Telegraphic communications are Rt all times meagre. The language in which they are transmitted, is curt,°and always more or less migrative, and it rarely happens that two different people attach equal importance to the ■same events, unless they relate to something of world-wide intere«t. On this account it may be that the trifling but significant incident related in the account given by Anglo-American Telegraph, escaped the notice ot the person transmitting the intelligence by the Anglo-Indian route. We learn, by way way of New York, that when Parliament was opened, "the day was n very stormy one. *' and as the Royal cortege passed '* along the streets of London the crowd *' greeted it with cries for • Reform.* " It appears to be thought by the mass of the population at Home, that Her Majesty has not given sufficient prominence to the .question that now so deeply agitates the mind of England, the extension of the franchise ; and for the time, tokens of discontent are manifest. There is a striking parallelism between the state of public feeling now and when William the Fourth •felt compelled to take decisive measures to extend the representation. By every possible means, it was brought by the people under His Majesty's notice, and at length lie expressed himself favorable to the movement, and it was successful. The guarded manner in which Her Majesty the Queen alludes to the subject in the speech from the Throne, doe 9 not suit the present temper of the people, although there is enough room under the recommendation to adopt measures, " without undue distnrbM ance t)f the balance of political power," freely to " extend the elective franchise," to the utmost necessary limit.

It is almost impossible, at a burped glance, to comprehend the complications in the affairs of the United States. The struggle of parties still continues. " The most important featnre of news." says the Telegraphic despatch to the Panama Star and Herald, " is a report irorn the ■*' Joint Reconstruction Committee, or a Bill *' to establish military government in the " Rebel States until loyal ci*il government "is organised there. The Bill has caused ** great excitement, and active efforts are " making to get up a compromise." What ■the proposed compromise is we are not informed. It is evident, however, that there is a strong party determined not to admit the Southern States to their former privileges. The wording of the resolution must be offensive to them. Although they are no longer in arras they are styled " rebels," and should the Bill pass, the world will see those States, claimed as part^ of the Union, governed by a number of Military dictators, viho in the language of one of the Members of Congress are " responsible neither to " the Government nor the people." But another Bill having reference impliedly to the same object, has been introduced into which is said to be designed "to *' place the President in such ft position, " that he will be compelled to carry out the " will of Congress, or subject hmvelf to the " act of impeachment in such a way as to be •" sustained by the majority of the people "of the Northern States." From this extract it would appear that the political war is now directed, not so much against the Southern States as against the President, and the desire is that he shall so commit himself as to lay himself open to an impeachment. The President is evidently on very delicate ground, especially as hie opponents do not appear to regard what means they make use of to effect his downfell.

Prom Mexico the news is very meagre. The French have not yet left, and the Emperor Btill remains in the country. But the Panama Star and Herald says, if the accounts are to be believed, " The Liberals are every where "in the ascendant, and the Imperialists 41 are greatly discouraged and beaten at " every point." In South America, 4he war between Brazil and Para-

guay continues, and it is said that very large preparations are being made by the former conntry for its prosecution. This announcement, and the information that the Bank of Bahia had been robbed of two hundred and sixty-six thousand dollars, with a vague mention of an explosion aud loss ot life in Paraguay, comprise the news from that part ot the world.

It may not be uninteresting to state that the detention of the Indian Mail steamer — to the non-arrival of which, pirt of the delay of the Panama Mail was caused— arose from an accident to the rudder of the vessel when some two thousand miles from St. Thoma3, and from detention by quarantine at Jamaica.