esolutions, Mr. CRAWFORD addressed a letter to the
House asking that a suit might be commenced against him for the
recovery of the interest which he had received, and payment of which the
House had condemned, in order to bring the question to the test of the
judicial tribunals. No further action has yet been had upon the
subject.--The House has also taken action on the application of Mr. HUGH
N. SMITH, a delegate from New Mexico, chosen by a convention of her
people, to be admitted upon the floor of Congress, not of course to take
any other part in the business of that body than to be heard upon
questions affecting the rights and interests of his constituents. In the
early part of the session the application was referred to the proper
committee, the majority of which reported against his admission. On the
19th the whole subject was laid on the table--equivalent to Mr. SMITH'S
rejection--by a vote of 105 yeas, 94 nays, and 29 absent. This disposes
of the question for the present session, although substantially the same
issue will indubitably come up in some new form.--The next day a similar
resolution was adopted rejecting the application of Mr. BABBITT to be
admitted as a delegate from the Territory of Utah, or Deseret.

The authorities of CUBA have decided to release the American prisoners
taken from the island of Contoy, beyond Spanish jurisdiction. This will
probably terminate all difficulties between the two governments growing
out of this affair.--Considerable currency has been given to a story
stated by correspondents of the London press, that the Spanish Gen.
NARVAEZ had grossly insulted the U.S. Minister at Madrid, refusing in
public to hold any intercourse with the representative of a nation which
tolerated and countenanced pirates and assassins. The story is entirely
discredited by direct advices.--The State Convention of Ohio called to
revise the Constitution has adjourned until the first Monday in
September.--A very destructive fire occurred at Philadelphia on the
night of the 9th ult. Although not in the chief business part of the
city, property to the amount of more than a million of dollars was
destroyed, and over _thirty_ lives were lost by the explosion of various
materials in the buildings burned The occurrence has elicited from Prof.
ROGERS, of the University of Pennsylvania, a letter stating that, in his
opinion, saltpetre by itself is not explosive, but that the great
quantity of oxygen which it cont