el laden with goods for the
coast of Circassia. On attempting to land her cargo she was seized by
a Russian man-of-war and confiscated, first, on the ground of the
violation of the blockade, to which the Russian government had subjected
the whole of the Circassian coast; and, secondly, for an alleged
violation of the custom-house regulations established by the same
authority in the ports of that country. This proceeding of the Russian
government was generally denounced as unjustifiable; and the subject was
brought before parliament on the 17th of March by Mr. Roebuck, who moved
for copies of all the correspondence which had taken place between the
British and Russian government on this transaction. Lord Palmerston
entered into a lengthy statement of the occurrence; but the papers were
refused, on the ground that the question was still under negotiation.
Mr. Roebuck repeated his inquiries on the subject, when Lord Palmerston
stated that, upon a full consideration of all the circumstances of the
case, the government had come to the conclusion that there was no room
for making any further demand upon the Russian government. Another
matter, in which our relations with Russia were concerned, was brought
before the house of commons on the 22nd of March by Lord Dudley,
who inquired of Lord Palmerston whether any consular agent had been
appointed to the state of Cracow. Lord Dudley Stuart said, that in the
preceding session a motion had been made by the member for Lancaster for
an address to the king, praying that his majesty would appoint a consul
to reside in that city; and that the noble secretary for foreign
affairs had stated that it was the intention of government to make such
appointment, on which the motion for an address was withdrawn. *Lord
Palmerston admitted the correctness of this statement. It had been his
intention, he said, to send a consular agent to Cracow; but he had
since been induced to depart from his purpose, finding that greater
difficulties would attend it than he had anticipated. His lordship did
not state what those difficulties were, and the house seems not to have
thought it expedient to press the government further upon the subject.

A more important point of our foreign policy considered this session was
the situation of the province of Texas. On the 9th of March, Mr. Barlow
Hay moved for "copies of all correspondence which had taken place
between our government and those of Mexico and of the Unite