and New Jersey, and a mass of information, legal and historical, which will make the opinion valuable as a state paper. It was decided that the Pea-Patch Island originally belonged to the State of Delaware, and not to New Jersey, and that the property in this Island was now vested in the United States under a transfer made by the State of Delaware in 1813."

In the argument, or opinion, many interesting reminiscences were stated connected with the boundaries of Maryland, and of the contests between Wm. Penn and Lord Baltimore under the original grants of territory from the Duke of York."

Scenes in the House of Representatives.-Interesting scenes were presented in the House, to-day, January 13. About one o'clock, Mr. Clay appeared in the Hall, and was cordially greeted by many of the members. Among those who left their seats for the purpose of meeting Mr. Clay, in the lobby, was Ex-President Adams. The meeting between these veteran statesmen was exceedingly pleasing to both, and their warm and mutual congratulations were gratifying to the crowd around.

GREAT BRITAIN.

We have nothing very new or important from Great Britain, or the rest of Europe.

The last steamer, the Cambria, arrived at New York on Tuesday evening the 10th inst. brought London papers to the evening of December the 31st and Liverpool to the 1st inst. The news is favorable in almost every particular; but of no great moment, in any respect.

LIBERIA.

We are happy to note here that this highly interesting Colony, so happily established by our American Colonization Society on the Western Coast of Africa, has solemnly declared herself to be a free, sovereign and independent State. We regret that we have no room for the official declaration of the fact, and other proceedings on the occasion; but we congratulate all the friends of the original enterprise yet living upon this auspicious event; which we regard as historically important and interesting in the highest degree. We may add, that we contemplate it with the more satisfaction because we look upon it as intimately connected with the history and honour of our own State, and country.

Literary Intelligence.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE VIRGINIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

Adverting to our brief notice of the Annual Meeting of the Society, on the 16th ult., in a former part of this number, we add here some further particulars of the proceedings, for the information of the members, and all concerned.

After the reading of the Report, the Librarian submitted a list of donations and loans of books and manuscripts, which had been made to the Society, by various persons, during the past year, as follows:

DONATIONS.

Washington's Life of Marshall, (1st Edition,) 5 vols. 8vo.; Gillies' History of the World, 3 vols. 8vo.; Port Folio, about 20 vols.; Analectic Magazine, about 10 vols. By William Maxwell.

Smith's History of Virginia, (Richmond edition,) 2 vols. 8vo. ; Beverley's History of Virginia, (2nd edition,) 1 vol. 8vo. London, 1722. By Charles F. Fisher.

Stith's History of Virginia, 1 vol. 8vo. By Socrates Maupin.

Memoir of Mrs. Shuck, 1 vol. 18mo.; Memoir of A. W. Clopton. By the author, Rev. J. B. Jeter.

Literature of American Local History; 1 vol. 8vo. By Hermann E. Ludewig, of New York.

Proces Verbal, &c., or Proceedings at Paris relative to the Bust of LaFayette, Presented to that City, by the State of Virginia. By Wyndham Robertson, of Abingdon.

Howison's History of Virginia, vol. 1st, 8vo. By the author, R. R. Howison.

Foote's Sketches of North Carolina, 1 vol. 8vo. By the author, Rev. Wm. H. Foote, of Rumney.

The Bland Papers, 1 vol. 8vo. By Charles Campbell, of Petersburg. Campbell's (J. W.) History of Virginia; Kerchevall's History of the Valley of Virginia; Gordon's History; Neal's History of New England, (London, 1719,) &c., &c., about 20 vols., of various sizes; also a number of pamphlets, some of them rare and curious. By T. H. Ellis. An Inquiry into the Rights of the British Colonies, and a Letter to the Clergy of Virginia, in Reply to the Answer of the Lord Bishop of

London, to the Lords of Trade and Plantations." By Richard Bland, 1760. By Thos. P. Atkinson, of Danville.

Proceedings of the General Court Martial, convened for the trial of Com. James Barron, Capt. Charles Gordon, Mr. Wm. Cook and Capt. John Hall, of the U. S. ship Chesapeake, in the month of of January, 1808. By Com. James Barron, of Norfolk.

The Laws of North Carolina, an old edition; 1 vol. folio. By Samuel B. French.

A Patent for Land from Sir William Berkeley, Governor of Virginia, bearing date August 17th, 1669, in the 21st year of Charles 2nd. By Jno. R. Thompson.

Twenty-Seven Letters of General William Phillips, of the British Army, written in 1779, while he was a prisoner of war in Virginia, and addressed to Colonel Theodorick Bland, who had charge of the troops of the Convention. By Charles Campbell, of Petersburg.

Select Papers of the late Col. Edward Carrington, of Richmond, containing a number of Letters from distinguished persons, and Documents of a public character, some of them highly interesting. By S. Maupin.

LOANS.

Bayle's Historical and Critical Dictionary, 5 vols. folio: 2nd edition, London, 1738. By Samuel H. Myers.

The Private Letter Book of Wm. Byrd, the elder, containing a series of Letters from January 7th, 1683, to August 3rd, 1691, in his own hand writing. By Mrs. Abigail Hopkins, of Winchester; one of his descendants.

A Private Library has been deposited in the public room of the Society, to be used by the members, as the books of the Society, under the rules and regulations established for the government of the Library, until recalled. By William Maxwell.

This library of Mr. M. contains about a thousand volumes; some of them rare and curious, among which are Purchas's Pilgrimage, 1 vol, folio; London, 1617; Beverley's History of Virginia, 1st edition, London, 1705; Keith's History of Virginia, 1 vol. 4to, London, 1738, and Clayton's Flora Virginica, 1 vol. 4to. Lugduni Batavorum, 1762.

OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY.

The following is a List of the Officers of the Society, &c., at the present time.

HON. WM. C. RIVES, President.

HON. JAMES MCDOWELL,

WM. H. MACFARLAND, Vice-Presidents.
JAMES E. HEATH,

WM. MAXWELL, Corresponding Secretary,

(also Rec. Sec. and Librarian.)

GEORGE N. JOHNSON, Treasurer.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.

The Officers of the Society are, ex-officio, members of the Executive Committee.

HONORARY MEMBERS.

Rev. ARCHIBALD ALEXANDER, D. D., Princeton, New Jersey,

Hon. WM. SHORT, Philadelphia,

Hon. ALBERT GALLATIN, New York,

Rev. SAMUEL MILLER, D. D., Princeton, New Jersey,

Hon. LITTLETON W. TAZEWELL, Norfolk,

Hon. HENRY CLAY, Lexington, Kentucky,

Hon. WM. C. PRESTON, Columbia, South Carolina,

Hon. GEORGE TUCKER, Philadelphia.

CORRESPONDING MEMBERS.

CHARLES CAMPBELL, Esq., of Petersburg,
Rev. WM. HENRY FOOTE, D. D., of Romney,
Rev. FRANCIS L. HAWKS, D. D., of New Orleans,
HERMANN E. LUDEWIG, Esq., of New York,

PHILIP R. FENDALL, Esq., of Washington,

ROBERT GREENHOW, Esq, of Washington.
PETER FORCE, Esq., of Washington,
WM. BRENT, Esq., of Alexandria,

Rev. PHILIP SLAUGHTER, of Fredericksburg,
MERIT M. ROBINSON, Esq., of New Orleans,

R. R. Howison, Esq., of Richmond.

LIFE MEMBERS.

Hon. William C. Rives. Wm. H. Macfarland. Conway Robinson.

undertook to invest mathematical analysis with the space-penetrating power of the telescope. They succeeded in the bold attempt, and from the closet pointed the observer's telescope to the locus of the stranger. The circumstances connected with the discovery of the planet Neptune are alone sufficient to stamp the age in which we live, as a remarkable era in the progress of Astronomy. So too with regard to Struve's "Stellar Astronomy" and Mädler's "Central Sun." This object or point, invisible though it be, and incorporeal though it may be, has been made to "tremble on the verge of analysis." These illustrious savans, with a degree of probability and a force of reasoning, that have every where arrested the attention of Astronomers and challenged the respect of Mathematicians, have shown that the sun, moon and planets, with their train of satellites and comets, are in motion as a unit, if I may be allowed the figure, about some grand centre poised in the remote regions of space; and situated in the direction of the Pleiades towards the star Alcyone. Perhaps this point is also the "Central Sun" about which the suns of a thousand other systems hold their way. Our luminary, with its splendid retinue, is computed to revolve about this centre at a rate of not less than thirty millions of miles in a year; yet so remote is it that. many millions of our years are required for the completion of one revoJution. Here then, indeed, is an annus magnus" of vast import. In the contemplation of it, may we not regard those comets which dash through our system, never to return, as lights sent from other systems to guide us on our way? Or at least may we not feel assured that they answer wise and useful purposes in the great economy?

I might point to other triumphs of mind over matter, in illustration of the length of line which Astronomers and Mathematicians are casting out, to fathom and explore the regions of space.

Pingre's comet is just now about to make its appear ance for the third recorded time, to the inhabitants of the earth. On the occasion of each of its former visits, it carried terror and dismay to the minds of Kings and Princes. In 1264, it was regarded as a messenger charged with the execution of sentence of death upon Pope Urban IV.

At its next return, the Emperor Charles V. of Spain, wrote of it, "His ergo indiceis me mea fata vocant." It is said that he resigned his erown to prepare for the dread summons.

It has now been gone for another period of near three hundred years, and is soon to come back provided with an "arming" which will be as significant to the Astronomer of what it has encountered in the depths of