Latest from America.

Colonist, Issue 89, 27 August 1858, Page 4

Latest from America.

We clip the following from papers received by the last mail:— An important correspondence has taken place between Lord Napier and General Cass, relative to the slave trade. .Lord Napier complained, on the part of his Government, that the American flag was used on the African coast as a cover to slavers of all nations, and he urged that the United States was bound to increase its African squadron from three to four vessels. General Cass, in reply, comments with great seventy upon the Coolie trade, and the laws of England relating thereto, and animadverts upon the African apprentice system of Napoleon. He regrets the abuse of the American flag by vessels not entitledxto its protection, but cannot admit our Government's responsibility. He further refuses to acknowledge that we are bound to add another vessel to the African squadron, and contends that we have fully complied with the letter and spirit of our treaty stipulations. The document is written in strong but temperate language. There is nothing in it to give- offence to Great Britain; and it is regarded here as an exceedingly able State paper. . , ;, / It is now settled that the monster steamship Leviathan Will make -her first .trip to Portland, Maine. ' It is believed that she will be ready for sea by the Ist of July next. According to the latest intelligence from England, there are over 1700 men hai'd at work upon her, and her machinery is already in. The ship's state-rooms and other arrangements for passengers are spoken of in the highest terms. After the House adjourned on the 12th instant [April] the members, who still remained scattered in groups around, were startled by a fight between Mr. Craige, of North Carolina,.and Mr. Helper, author of a book entitled "The Impending Crisis," and formerly of the same State. They had just before been engaged in angry conversation. Crowds of members and others rushed in and separated the combatants, who were dealing heavy blows. Mr. Helper was taken in charge by. the sergeant-at-arms. A pistol and knife were found on him, but he made no attempt to use them. Mr. Helper is an anti-slavery man, and resorts, it is said, to these methods to advertise his book. According to the accounts of eye-witnesses, he was severely punishing Mr. Craige (who is a sevenfooter) when the bystanders interrupted him in his amusement.

The Louisville papers give^particulars of one of the bloodiest and most desperate encounters on record. It tdbk place in a tavern in Springfield, Washington county, Kentucky, between Ben Palmer, son of the Hon. R. 0. Palmer, an ex-State Senator, and W. Mack Booker, son of Judge Paul Booker, for many years a District Judge in the State. The difficulty was occasioned by an ill-feeling; that originated in the election of Booker to the dohimand of a company that had been raised in the county for the Utah war. The parties, it seems, met in a bar-room of'a tav^n in Springfield, and an altercation instantly ensued, one or the other first using liis fists. Each then drew a revolver and fired four shots a piece in rapid .succession, three of Palmer'e hitting Booker—-one in the left hand, a second in his leg, and a third in the left breast. The first shot fired' by Booker struck Palmer in the groin, penetrating the bladder —a mortal wound. He was also wounded in the leg. After exhausting his shots, he hurled his pistol with all his strength against Booker, who, thinking himself mortally wounded, seized the other with his left hand by the collar, and throwing away his pistol, drew a bowie knife and stabbed the unfortunate Palmer nine times in the breast and body. The latter fell dead in his tracks, his body streaming blood at every pore. Booker, it is said, may possibly survive his wounds.

The Mormons were migrating from the Salt Lake. Valley, and their ultimate destination was said to be Sonora. The city of Utah was expected to be occupied by Colonel Johnstone's troops.

At latest accounts there was a great rise in the Mississippi and Arkansas rivers. Whole cotton plantations were under water, and the whole town of Napoleon was submerged in some places to the depth of ten feet. But few places escaped inundation between the mouth of White River and the Louisiana line.

From New Orleans, we learn that the water run over the levels in some places near the city. On the. opposite side, a crevasse of three hundred feet overflowed plantations, stopped the trains on the New Orleans, Opelousas and Great Western Railroad, and doing an incalculable amount of damage to the plantations on that side of (.he river.

At latest accounts, vigorous efforts were making to stop the. crevasse, and it was thought they would be successful.

The two Germans, named Th urenger and Bemrrjernian, arrested here [Boston] last week, charged with enlisting men for the British service, have been held for trial for breaking the neutrality laws. Telegraphic despatches from British officers in Toronto and Niagara were produced on the examination.

The steamship Black Warrior arrived here [New York] yesterday with Havana dates to the 14th instant. Eighteen British gun-boats were cruising around the island of Cuba, in order, as asserted, to prevent the landing of negroes, but the search exercised by them on American vessels is reported as very insolent.

A successful robbery: was effected the other day at a trifling"expense. The miscreant destroyed the foundation stone of King Edward the Sixth's Grammar Schools, now in course of erection at Morpeth, by blasting it with powder, for the sake of gaining possession of a few coins deposited therein, altogether not amounting to £3. The stone had only just been laid with much ceremony. '