Weekly national intelligencer. [volume], October 09, 1847, Image 7

About Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869

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NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER;
FROM OUR EUROPEAN CORRESPONDENT.
London, September 8, 1847.
I was sorry to observe in the Intelligencer of the
13th ultimo the following passage in a speech of
the Hon. T. B. Kino, of Georgia, which he deliv
ered at Chicago. This speech was strongly em
bued with the liberality of sentiment and elevation
of thought which always characterize the addresses
of that gentleman ; nor does the following sentence
detract from these attributes any further than as it
is thought to be founded in error, and does ?ot al
low enough for the operation of those feelings ol
liberality, of forbeurance, and of reciprocating kind
nesses, which it is to be hoped, for the future, will
mark the conduct of both England and the United
States. Mr. Kino said : " In our next contest with
* John Bull, and a contest must come, as sure as
* the great world rolls round, the theatre of action
* will be on these inland lakes. II a contest must
come, and, taking Mr. Kino's speech literally, there
will be no avoiding it, why then there will be no
thing to be done but for the United States to create
a large fleet, and prepare their harbors on the lakes
for its reception. But is it certain that such an
event is so inevitable ? The cause of this war is
evidently to be Canada and the other British pos
sessions to the north of the American frontier.
Thanks to able and pacific negotiators, the bounda
ry line has been adjusted, from the Atlantic to the j
Pacific. There can be no dispute in future about
meurn et tuum ; for neither nation will be foolish
or dishonest enough to encroach upon its neighbor.
The days of border warfare, formerly so productive
of dispute between nations having a conterminous
boundary, cannot find a place in the annals of the
nineteenth century between the two most civilized
people on the face of the earth. The evils and in
jurious effects of contraband traffic will not need
the strong arm of war to put them down ; and, be
sides, the continual approaches which both Govern
ments seem intent upon making towards free tride
will lessen the temptations to this illegal commerce,
and in time destroy it altogether. From what
source, then, is this " next contest with John Bull"
to arise ? Is it to have its birth in the United States
taking sides with the Colonies in some contest be
tween the latter and the mother country ? In the
absence of any other assignable cause of war, let
this be assumed as the source from which that hor
rible scourge is to take its birth, and examine first
into the probability of such a contest arising be
twgn Great Britain and her Colonies, and then in
to uie danger there is of the United States becom
ing a party in such embroilment. The dispute will J
arise, of course, from the Colonies wishing to throw
off the government and control of the mother coun
try, and from the' latter wishing to maintain and
continue them. It is thought, probably, and the
thought is likely to arise in the breast of a high- j
toned American citizen, that the British Colonies .
inay wish to follow the example of their elder sis
ters, the United States, and declare themselves in
dependent, and commence self-government. If!
Great Britain was about to oppress and tyrannize
over Canada and Nova Scotia, as the Ministry of j
George III. attempted to do over the colonies which
have since become the United States, the former
would do right in resisting such an attempt, and
may God grant them success should such an event
take place ! But Kings and Ministers are wiser in
the days of Victoria and Kussell than they were
in the reign of George III. and during the purblind
policy of Bute and North. England will never
attempt to govern any of her colonies as she was
foolish enough to attempt to govern the United
States. Where, in all her present colonial policy,
is there any the least symptom of such a desire
Her colonial system is essentially paternal, and,
should the peace of Europe not be disturbed, it will
continue to be increasingly so.
But it may be said that, let the course of England
be as truly protective and liberal as it may towards
the Colonies, there will be a time in the history of
these latter when they will naturally wish to assume
the privilege of self-government, and to take their
place among the independent nations of the earth ;
that this time is fast approaching; that it is near at
hand ; that England will resist this separation ; that
her fleets will be busy on the lakes of America, and
her armies on the borders of the United States ; that
the charter from Heaven, by which the latter hold
their liberties, contains a clause which renders it
imperative upon them to take sides with the t olo
nies and aid them in the holy cause of freedom.
Thus is the " next contest with John Bull to arise,"
and hence the necessity for the improvement of the
United States harbors on the lakes. This is a good
" ad captandum " argument, but it is not consider- j
ed as a legitimate one to use in conjunction with
those which Mr. Kino adduced in iavor of those
improvements as a necessary means of protecting
and encouraging the rapidly-increasing commerce of
the West, and of forwarding the immense agricul- ^
tural products of that country to its distant market,
Europe. . |
That the old world will every year become more
and more dependant upon the new for part of its
supplies of breadstuff's is every day more and moie
apparent. Even this year of productive plenty
throughout Europe will be no exception to the rule :
and in case of a continental war, which Heaven
forbid, or of a year of scarcity, which may soon oc
cur again, which may Heaven also prevent, the vast
regions of your Western States, finding their outlets
through the lake ports, would be the store-houses
and the granaries of the old world. Here, then, are
abundant reasons, founded upon peaceful, benevo
lent, and christian principles, for promoting the great
and good work which Mr. Kino so ably advocated,
without breathing a word about such an (as it is
hoped) improbable and horrible event as a war with
England.
But this is quitting the point at issue, which was
the probability of the present British North Ameri
can Colonies entering into a contest for their nation
al independence with the mother country, and the
United States becoming an ally with, or at least
getting mixed up with, the former in the strife.
There are three points to be considered here.
The first is, the probability of the British North
American Colonies entering into a struggle with the
mother country for their political independence;'
the second is, whether Great Britain would make
any great opposition to such political independence
if it could be accomplished with a fair chance of be
ing maintained ; and the third point is, if such con
test did take place through the Colonies requiring
their independence and the mother country resisting
it, would the United States consider it their duly or
their inteiest to interfere ? The negative ol all
these propositions appears to be the most probable, j
What is there in \\\e present position or the past
history of Canada which manifests a wish on the
part of any considerable portion of the people to 1
throw off their allegiance to the mother country ?
Nothing. The disturbance which took place a lew
years ago was a riot rather than a rebellion. It
was treated as a riot by the British Government,
and was put down as such. And the American
Government looked upon it in the same light, al
though no doubt some mischief-loving people on
your frontier or elsewhere would have been pleased
to magnify the affair of the Caroline and the folly
of McLeod into a cause of wsr. Great Britain
evidently regarded the offenders as felons and not
as traitors, for the prisoners met a felon's fate.
And what, since the quelling of this outbreak,'pa
triotic as it was called, leads to any well-founded
inferenre that the people of Canada are so dissatis
fied with their colonial form of government as to
be induced to throw off their allegiance ? It may
be unhesitatingly replied there is not even a shadow
of a "round for such a supposition. \
And again : admit that the time was come when
the people of Canada and Nova Scotia, in a firm
and unUed voice, declared their intention to dis
solve their political connexion with England. Are
the advantages of that political connexion to Eng
land so "feat ; are the differences between the ex
penditures and leceipts, the mercantile and com
mercial profits so very enormous, as to induce Lng
land to enter into a long and expensive war lor the
sake of retaining them, and retaining them also
against the will of the people ? England will not
willingly renounce her sovereignty over a single
foot o( her territory, nor would she be driven to
do so by the dictation or denunciation ot any
foreign Power, or by the world in arms ; but let
her Government be convinced that the majority of
the people of any of her colonies are desirous ot a
change, are able to maintain political independence,
and to build up a name and a fame among the
nations of the earth, and she would see, be con
vinced, and admit that what was beat for them was
best for her. It would be a short-sighted policy
for any nation to prefer unwilling and rebellious
subjects to attached and peaceable allies ; and such
would not be the policy ol England. When the
time arrives, and arrive it will lor all of them, for
any of Great Britain's colonies to assume the pri
vilege and the power of self-government, she will
not deny it; on the contrary, she will help them
in their undertaking, bul them God speed, and find
her best interest and her truest national honor and
glory in so doing.
But take the third point of the question : Sup
pose that Canada insisted upon her political inde
pendence, and Great Britain refused it, and sent her
fleets and armies to coerce her rebellious colonists.
In such a juncture would it be the duty or the in
terest of the United States to interfere ? Accord
ing to the soundest views of international law it
would not be right for them to do so; and what
is not right cannot be a duty, nor, in the end, an
advantage. The United States did not do more
than sympathize with the South American Spanish
States until they had achieved their independence.
Nor did thev adopt a different course with respect
to Mexico as regarded Spain, nor with Texas as
respected Mexico. Why, then, should Canada, as
respects England, be an exception to a general rule
established among and adhered to by all civilized
nations ? ,
Some will say that, in the event of a war be
tween England and Canada it would be impossible
for the United States to avoid collisions with the
hostile fleets and armies. This might be the case.
The irregularities and the outrages oi war are al
ways so indefinable that it would probably be diffi
cult to guard against them ; but these outrages and
irregularities are as likely to arise from Canadian
soldiers and sailors as from English ones, and
therefore would as probably embroil^ the United
States with one as with the other. These things
must be guarded against as well as they can be, ac
cording to the usages of civilized warfare, if there
be such a thing. All that is attempted to be proved
is that a war, should such an unnatural and terrible
thing take place between England and Canada,
does not inevitably involve the United States in a
war with the former.
But it may be urged that the Northern States ot
the Union will find it necessary to possess Canada,
&c. in order that free States may be carved there
from, to balance the slaveholding States which will
be furnished to the South from Texas and the con
quests to be made in Mexico ; and, further, that the
British North American colonies woujd rather be
incorporated in the Union than remain attached to
or connected with Great Britain. The first part of
this observation will not be made by any American
citizen whose opinion is worth asking, or whose
sanction is worth having: the latter part of it may
be fairly denied until it is a little more manifested.
It is not, therefore, very evident that " the next
contest with John Bull will have Canada for its
cause;" and, if it have not, it is not perceived how
" the theatre of action" of such contest is to be on
??the inland lakes."
No ; let Mr. Kino be assured, and let it animate
and cheer his patriotic and liberal heart, that a con
test with England is not 44 so sure as that the
world turns round." Let the I 'nited States and
England each pursue its tygli, its honorable destiny ;
let them cultivate 44 the arts of fair delightful
peace." Neither of them is asked to submit to in;
suit or wrong upon the other: neither of them
has the slightest desire to inflict insult or wrong
upon the other. United in purpose and design,
not by treaties or conventions, but by honest
principle and earnest exertion in promoting all
the best interests of their respective people, and,
in connexion therewith, and flowing therefrom, the
best interests of the world at large, they may be
the means of giving liberal laws to other nations,
and become the regenerators of mankind. There
is no cause of jealousy between them : there is no
clashing of interests; there is no incompatibility in
their prosperity.
Mr. Kino's position and character demand close
attention to his dicta. His opinion that there is an
inevitable necessity for a war with England about
Canada has already been cited by some illiberal
persons as proof that such an event would be gra
tifying to the Americans. The ascription of such
feelings is as unjust as the anticipated war is im
probable. With this satisfactory reflection we
take our leave of the subject.
A much more painful matter for consideration
arises from the numerous large failures which have
lately taken place on the Corn Exchange and other
marts of business, and it increased in intensity when
we became aware that very few ol these failures
have been occasioned by fair and legitimate mer
cantile enterprise, but that nearly all have resulted
from reckless uncalculating speculation and from
bold dashes at good-luck, entered into with the des
peration of the gambler, rather than with the cool,
steady, and honorable feelings of a British mer
chant. And our sorrow is stil) further deepened
when we learn that the game for fortune was played
with breao for counters!?and that, in fact, al
though much the greater part of the suffering for
food during the last twelve months was caused by
an absolute deficiency in the hnrvest of 1846, yet
it is impossible to say how many half-starved
wretches were driven to the poor-house and the
prison, the hospital and the grave, by the tendency
which speculation in corn had to raise the price of
bread, and to increase the difficulties of the poor.
Mr. Milnfr Gibson, the enlightened and active
Vice President of the Board of Trade, will not, it
is hoped, allow another session of Parliament to
pass ov#r without accomplishing some plan for the
annual ascertainment of the state of the harvest, and
the amount of agricultural produce. Even a proxi
mate knowledge of this kind would be a great gen
eral good, and would go far to put an end to the
arts and tricks of a class of men, who, without any
improper severity of epithet, may justly be called
44 rogues tn grain " Free trade in corn is only
atteiuled with half its benefits, if it can be said to
exist at all, until this end is accomplished. Bread
is an article in which monopoly should be destroy
ed and speculation rigidly controlled.
But it is not in breadstuffs and grain alone that
speculation has been rife, nor has the rage for gam
bling enterprise been confined to that sex which
generally engrosses all its excitements and its risks.
Females, ladies?ladies of rank and title!?have fre
quented the purlieus of Capel Court and the Stock
Exchange, and have mixed with the purchasers of
such unfeminine wares as funded stocks and rail
way shares. One lady, a peeress too, is proclaim
ed as a defaulter to the amount of ?200,000, and
several other ladies, the wives of men of rank and
East India millionaires, are spoken of as having dab
bled in the funda and in railroad shares, and to have
suffered thereby. The principal lady speculator is
mentioned without hesitation in the public journals
as being the Marchioness of Aylesbury, the second
wife of the Marquis of that title, and the original
of the speculating Lady liertie and )iel/air of
J)'Israeli's last novel, Tunered. Her ladyship
does not appear to have nyide any secret of her
stockjobbing propensities, for her carriage, bearing
the arms of her noble family, and attended by ser
vants in the family liveries, was very frequently
seen in Bartholomew Lane, near the entrance of
Carol Court. The Marquis is said to have paid
ha/J his wile's deficiencies, and to have provided
for the payment of the remainder.
We have a great dearth of home news at pre
sent; the elections are all over, and the state of
parties in the new Parliament will vary very little
from what you have been advised of. The last
political demonstration is that which was made by
Earl Fitzwilliam, at the dinner of the master
cutlers at Sheffield. Ilis lordship appears to be
much dissatisfied with the conduct of the electors
of the \\ est Hiding of Yorkshire in having return
ed Mr. Cohden to Parliament, instead of waiting
upon him to solicit for a nominee. His lordship
was very caustic at the dinner, both with Lord
Morpeth and Mr. Ward, two of the Administra
tion present; and it appears to be very doubtful
whether he may not be found in a ijuasi opposition
attitude at the opening of Parliament. His being
so would do his own character, which has hitherto
been a consistent and a liberal one, more injury
than it would any body or any thing else. It would
not, however, be the Jirstume that his noble family
| has turned a political summerset.
Sept. 10, 1N47.? The following extract from a
late Liverpool Albion appears to embody, in a few
1 se|1^ence8' the sum and substance of the present po
| litical manifestation*, and to express the opinions
I of die thinking part of the community :
I he Minister* will be stronger in reality in the new Par
liament than they are in seeming. They will be strong, not
only in their own strength, bat in the divisions which rage,
as well as reign, in the camp of their opponent?. In all great
social questions, and in all gradual and progressive improve
ments, they will have the support of the Peel section against
the more bitter and bigoted section of the Tories. But it must
not bo overlooked, in a calculation of the relative strength of
parties, that a new apple of discord has been cast among the
extreme Tories by Lord George Bentinck's bold and honest
avowal that ' he will not march through Coventry with them'
in any crusade against the Roman Catholics. This has made
confusjon worse confounded' among them, and has com- 1
pleted the disruption of the faction. Its fruits are already
visible. Mr. 1 ollemache, at the South Cheshire election,
repudiated the further leadership of the noble jockey. In
V\ arwickshire the I ory candidates have done the some thing.
In Buckinghamshire the versatile D'Israeli unfurled a flag of
independence, a very little one, for himself; would have no^!
thing to do with rustic violence and factious opposition, and,
us tlie lurks say, 'ate dirt by the bushel' when speaking of
Sir Robert Peel, whom he begins once more to recognise as a
great statesman and all that he was not while Benjamin was
merely Lord George's cad and shadow during the corn-law
battlo. In short, the Tories, as a party, are thoroughly bro
ken up, and, if the Ministers only show common prudence in
the management of the new Parliament, we do not see what
can throw them out. If they only bring forward good mea
sures nothing can disturb them."
From the state of parties, let us turn to the state
of the weather, respecting which it may be report,
ed that the English climate fully maintains its char
acter lor variableness. Firex and Jlanneh are now
in the ascendant, but after the equinox we hope to
enj?y that usually very fine season, an English
autumn. Your delicious Indian summer is not for
gotten, but my recollections of an English autumn
are very pleasing; may they be realized !
A walk through Covent Garden market at this
season would afford much novelty and surprise to
an inhabitant of your peach bearing neighborhood.
What would he think at being asked 8s. a dozen
for peaches not equal in size and quality to your
neighbor Hates's thijrd rates ? Nor would his sur
prise be diminished at being required to pay Is. for
six very indifferent looking tomatoes, 12s. for a
moderate sized and half-ripe looking melon, and
proportionate prices for apricots, grapes, and figs !
It is a fortunate thing, however, and a providential
arrangement, that here, where fruit is scarce, and
of course dear, there is not, owing to the difference
of climate, any great desire, and probably only a
proportional necessity, for it. From what I have
I seen of English fruit, I should pronounce the
gooseberries and pears to be by far the best that is
produced. 1 he former have lately had much atten
tion paid to their cultivation, and I have plucked,
and without much difficulty, in a private garden,
sixteen gooseberries which together weighed more
than a lb. avoirdupoise !
Good wheat may now be/bought in Mark Lane
at 42s. per quarter, or 5s. 3d. (about 91.18) per
bushel?a great falling off from 93, which it sold at
for a short time ! The 41b. loaf of bread is now
sold for 5id.: it once sold for Is. There is, how
ever, much wheat in the field yet in Lancashire and
other northeastern counties, but nine-tenths or more
of the crop has been safely gathered in. Rumors
of the failure of the potato crop are again very pre
valent. I passed a market gardener yesterday who
, was digging up his potato crop ; his reply to my
inquiry about it was, that it was very deficient, and
that " potatoes would soon cease to be food for the
poor man.' The same accounts come from Lan
| cashire and other part# of the country. %*
huhniiagb institute,
Montgomery County, Maryland.
MRS. GhNKKAL WHEKLEK informs her friends and !
the public that she intends oi>ening a Boarding School
I tor Young Ladies, at the residence of the late Dr. Howie, known
** ? ?^rmitage, twelve miles on the road from Washington
, to Brookville, which location is believed to have more tlmn
usual advantages, in regard to health and retirement, as well
as convenient access to the cities or the District of Columbia.
It will lie the constant aim of Mrs. Wheeler to improve the
moral and intellectual powers of her pupils, with a due regard
to^their health and comfort, to which she will give her time*
muting personal care and attention.
I lie routine of studies will embrace the entire course, from
the elementary to the higher and ornamental branches of edu
cation, including French, Music, Drawing, and Painting.
1 he scholastic year will be divided into two sessions : the
first commencing on the first Monday of September and end
'JJR ^ e 1*1" February ; the second commencing on the 14th of
February and ending the last Friday of July.
Scholars will Ite reoeived at any time, mid charged in pro
portion to the end ol the session.
Term* per Station, payable half in adtvmcr.
Board, Washing, Knglish Tuition, and Drawing 470
rrench ?
Music at Professors' prices.
Use of Piano do do.
No extra charges ; but each pupil ii to furnish herself with
all articles necessary lor her pursuit.?books, stationery, draw,
ing materials, he. J
Mrs. Wheeler would apprize those to whom .he is unknown
that she was educated with the view of being a teacher and I
has taught in New York, also in Mrs. F.dw.rds's Seminary
in Leesburg, and that she will use every exertion to merit the
patronage 01 those whose children will be under her charge
by procuring such teachers to assist as will enablv her to eive
her pupils a complete and finished education. '
Pupils will be required to have all their clothing marked
No allowance made for absence after a session has com
mi nced, except in cases of protracted sickness.
'1 he school will be opened on the Md November. All com
munications prior to that time to be addressed, post paid to
Mrs. Wheeler, near I'oolesville, Montgomery county, Ma'rv
and { after that date, to Colesville, in taid county
aug 418?wptMNov
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Bounty I Jtnds, Pensions, fcc ; 1 volume { giving, also, the '
Rules and Articles of War, Constitution of the United States,
fcn., compiled originally by Col Truman Cioss, and conclud- j
ed bv Cant. Ifetzel, U. S. Army.
The Official Documents of the War with (treat Britain fi om
18IS to 1815, collected and arranged hy John Hrannan, in one
j volume octavo, ami containing the official letters and despatches
of the military and naval ..flicers throughout those campaigns, 1
the F.xeeutive messages to Congress, proclamations, reports of
committees, general orders, treaties, Ico., with much addi- !
tional matter, letters, documents, he., elucidating the history
of that period. For sale by F. TAVLOR, Bookseller. \
The aliove can he sent by mail, under the present postage
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I P?*- sept 30 I
ON THE O R IGIN OF THE WAS.
LETTERS OF JOHN P. KENNEDY
Tothe( it/zen* of the Fourth Congressional District, und
n; ,'"'lUr yl& Monies and Workingmm of that
District if Moth Vo/iticul Parties.^ cqscuJSm.]
Subjoined to this letter are the much-talked of resolutions
o t ii House ot Delegates of Maryland. I will not show you
w o voted against each of these resolutions in that Legisla
tare. Jui it may be well believed that whoever did ?o, did it
upon rnc rt party grounds and without any reference to the
merit of t!,e questions which they presented. The Opinions
exprt il in these resolutions are not confined, as you have
? re y seen, to the Whigs; but the Whigs almost every
w ere over the I nited States, have taken frequent occasion to
Sa"a ?'>'n'ons' an(^ 'here has been a great deal of
cay eloquence against them, a great deal of stereotyped
? ang o the press, much fustian accompanicd with many par
oxysms of mock heroics and political sentimentality?that was
to ^ expected, i he war, taken by itself?I mean separated
rom t ie t< tut that has l*en given to it by the brave ofticers
an nit n who have had to do the fighting?is an unpopular
war, ami the manner in which it was begun is very unlucky
or t i 1 resident. So far as he is concerned in it, it is a griev
oua un er. So far as the Cabinet have had any thing to do
ft" Cf ??'' or'?'n "r ,tb management since, they need all
pu uig of all the orators to excuse them. They began it
unconstitutionally and, they have conducted it with singular
uns i u ni ss. It presents a series of remarkable neglects and
omis i ins on the part of the Government, redeemed, in every
HWtanie, only by the incredible prowess, forecast, and judg
ment of the brave men who have shed their blood like water.
" ,n'lted that military operations commenced in the wrong
quarter?immense amounts of money have been spent, and
thousands of precious lives sacrificed in the attempt to peric
yte Mexico from the Rio Grande. The Administration, dis
covering at last that that was a mistake, have had to begin
anew at Vera Cruz. They have failed to supply the army
with men when most wanted, and our Generals have constant
ly been obliged to meet the enemy with the odds against !hem
,e vesof nearly four to one?thus exposing their troops to that
Jreadful waste of gallant men, of which there is scarcely a
parallel in modern war-and when they have suffered this they
have found themselves without the means of improving their
matchless victories. For all this is the Administration ac
countable ; and it requires a great power of rhetoric to help
them out with the people. It was, therefore, to be exacted?
''"king to the usual coarse of the tactics of " the party"?that
Wh,gs shoulJ be made to hear the brunt of abuse, if party
outcry could thus divert the public observation from those at
110 lead of affairs. But party outcry is not sufficient for this
task the people see and will judge for themselves.
As far as I can understand this outcry, it is, not that the
opinions expressed in the Maryland resolutions are not true
st dare not say, openly at least, that Mr. Benton and Mr.
afioun have said what was untrue?but that the people hare
nohght to speak about the blunder of the President and his
violation of the Constitution. It is giving ? aid and comfort"
to the enemy it is treason ! That is the doctrine which Dc
moaratic leaders are now attempting to teach to a Democratic
F?P e . I hat .is the doctrine which fills the columns of every
servile press that lives by eulogies on the Piesident, from the
nion, at \\ ashington, down to the Argus.
1 will not say all I think concerning the ?? aid and comfort"
that have been given to the enemy , but this I will say, that,
whilst those who have assumed to give the Democracy these
new lights consider it treason to question the Commander-in
Chief of the Arnues and Navies of the United States, they do
not extend their doctrine to his Lieutenants ; to the veterans
cot and I ay lor, and others I might name. It is no great
offence to disparage, ridicule, or attempt to lessen them in the
esteem o the country, or even to supplant them in their com
mands , whether the enemy did not hope for some aid and com
fort m that, and still more, whether he did not also find it in
the scanty eupp|les offorce by whj(>h hp (Q ^ e,)counter.
ed, ire questions which it might not be wise to put to the Gov
ernnent of Mexico. Much more confidently might we ask
that Government what consolations they have found in the
resolutions of the Whig party when that party chose to ex
press its doubts of Mr. Polk's wisdom. I think, further, that
he wfco furnished Santa Anna with a pass into Mexico, ought
to nyst on his friends dropping the topic of " aid and com
fort, if it be only for decency's sake.
These attacks upon the Whigs are very idle and senseless.
If this preat master Republic of the world, with her twenty
millions of people and her boundless resources, cannot success
fully nuke war upon the little, mongrel, distracted, and dis
cordant Republic of Mexico without suppressing freedom of I
?T>eech ?nd thought at home, and without silencing all inqui- 1
ry into violations of the constitution, we had better not make
war at ill. To read what is written and said by the leaders
of the Democracy, one would suppose Mexico was invading :
our homes, not we hers ; that we weie fighting for "altars
and firesides," and that there was a call for all men to the res
cue. In such a time of consternation we should acknowledge
the propriety of postponing inquiry ; but not now, when our foo 1
u flyine before our regiments like pigeons, and when ten men
are volunteering to go to the war for every fire that are
asked for. ?
Mexico is fighting for altars ami firesides, and she has made
it treason to talk of peace. Shall we, in faint but applausive
imitation of her example, make it treason to speak truly of the
war, or to say to Mr. Polk, you ought to have consulted Con
gress about it ' Is the Democratic Press trying to compass
this ' One step more would bring us to a Sedition Law ; and
these zealous champions of a Progressive Democracy would
then have accomplished their last triumph of popular freedom !
Leaders may lead in this career, but I am quite sure that you,
the people, the real Democracy of the country, will not follow.
You have been accustomed to regard the names of Chatham
and Burke as embalmed in the richest unction of freedom.
honored in all the recollections associated with our struggle for
independence. You were not aware that, in the phrase of
this day, these men were traitors, and dishonored the land of
their ancestors?disgracing their Saxon stock by their freedom
of speech and eloquent denunciations of a war waged by their
monarch against a distant jteople. They had not been taught,
however, the great truth that in war freemen must be silent;
that constitutions are only sacred in time of peace !
Every Frenchman who questions the policy of a campaign
m Algiers, in this new philosophy, is a friend and ally of
Abd-el-Kadir j and every Englishman who condemns the
waate of men and money i^pon Indian conquests is giving aid
and comfort to the Sikhs. But unenlightened France and
England have not yet advanced so far in civilisation as to
arrive at that momentous principle of freedom that, when the
sword is drawn ujnin a far-off people, men may no longer
speak their minds ! ? They must come to free America to
learn from her aspiring Democracy the doctrine of passive
obedience to a reigning power !
I am not at that school. The W bigs have no afiectiona
for this doctrine ; they think it abject and obsequious servility,
and will have none of it.
In the language of an eloquent Whig of the last Congresa,
"it is a doctrine which can command the homage of no heart
that was not made for the Itosom of a slave !" I utterly ab
jure, loathe, and repudiate it { and will always, as long as I
live, hold on to those who believe that, neither in |*?ce nor
in war, is there any citizen in this land so high in public
function as to be%bove the scrutiny of the people into al! his
acts, his declarations, and his prineiples { that, above all,
Congren being the only war-making |?ower, and being itself
but the representative of the People, it is the first and highest
privilege and duty of every citizen who elects that Congress
to assert its prerogative against the invasion of the President
or any other man whatever. These are Whig principles,
and will be uttered and practised u|>on lis long as there is a
Whig living m the land.
I have now redeemed the promise I made in the first of
these letters to give you my opinion freely upon some *ubject?
connected with Federal legislation. There were other ques
tions upon which I should have been glad to offer some re
marks ; among these the Tariff of IH4?. That question
will '"Wong, perhaps, more appropriately to another canvass,
whi<h is not far off. It has no great significance at this
moment, when the friends of American industry hsve both a '
Senate and Executive against them. The day is very near
at hand when a discussion upon the merits of this boasted
measure will be more profitable than it can be now. 1 wait,
therefore, for that day s when it arrives the mechanics and
workingmen of Baltimore shall find me where I have aiwaya
been?in the front rank, to do battle with those who would
strike down their prosperity. J. P. KENNEDY.
Copy of the Maryland Resolutions rejerred to in
the preceding letter.
Resolved by the Generul Assembly of Maryland, That the
existing hostilities with Mexico were brought about by the
act of the President of the United Slate*, in ordering the
urrny to occupy territory at that time under ibe jurisdiction of
Mexico, the acquisition of which territory it was the intention
of Congress, at the date of the annexation of Texas, to leave
to friendly negotiation between the two Governments.
'^d. That these hostilities were thua brought about whilst
Congress was in session, to whom the question of making
war exclusively belongs, and who, nevertheless, were not
consulted by the President previously to the invasion ot tlie
disputed territory, nor advised by him of his designs in regard
to the same. A >.
3d. That the motive of this refusal or neglect to consult
Conuress, in advance of this measure, seems to have been an
apprehension, on the part of the President, that if Congress
had been consulted they would not have concurred in his de
signs to invade the disputed territory.
4lh. That Congress, not having declared war, it was ine
exercise of authority not conferred on the President by the
constitution when he directed the army to march into the
disputed territory, and when he sutfered them to threaten
with hostile array the Mexican town of Motamoros.
5th. That, although the people of this country have suffer
ed manifold and grievous wrongs from the Government ol
Mexico, such as might have been sufficient to authorize a re
sort to war for redress, yet these wrongs furnished no defen
sible ground to the President for waging war, without lirst
consulting Congress and awaiting their decision on the subject.
Oth. That this Legislature believe that the war might have
been avoided if the President had consulted Congress, or had
not directed the army to march from the Nueces to the 10
Grande ; and a more satisfactory indemnity might have been
obtained for the wrongs inflicted upon our people by Mexico
than may, in any event, be expected from the present state ot
things; that, whilst war impoverishes the enemy, and de
prives him of the ability to pay an indemnity in money, it
leaves this Government no other means of aaiisiaction than
what may be found in the acquisition of territory by conquest.
7th. That, in view of this fact, the nation lias now a right
to be informed by the President to what end he pro|?wd to
conduct the war ; whether to the enforcement of an indemnity
in money, or to the permanent acquisition of Mexican territory
to the United Stales. ...
8th. That if his object be a permanent acquisition of tern
tory, this Legislature protests, in advance, in the name of the
State of Maryland, against the annexation of new States from
territory lying south or west of the Rio Grande.
9th That, notwithstanding all the objections to the origin
of the existing war, the Legislature warmly participates in the
common sentiment of the nation, of pride in the gallant
achievements of the army, and in the masterly skill and con
duct of the officers and men who have so gloriously exalted the
prowess of oui country in the recent campaign ; and they re
turn the-thaaks of the people of Maryland to those patriotic
citizens and soldiers whose matchless bravery won the honors
of Palo Alto, Itesaca de la Palma, and Monterey.
10th. That this Legislature approve and applaud the course
of the Representatives of Maryland in both Houses of Con
cresF. in their prompt co-operation towards the supplies ot
men and money for the vigorous prosecution of the war, since
the country has been involved in it; and they hope, and
confidently expftt, that the Representatives of the State will
continue to give their aid to all proper measures which sha I
be calculated to sustain the glory of the American arms and
promote the consummation of an early and honorable peace.
11th. That this Legislature, with the whole people of Ma
ryland, entertain the most grateful sense of the value of the
services rendered to the -nation by Major General 1 avlor in
the conduct of the war ; that they trust implicitly to las pru
dence, wisdom, and courage, and desire to express to him
their unabated confidence in his distinguished ability to accom
plish all that may be expected from the most gallant and most
sagacious of our Generals; that they cordially approve the
skill and valor with which he assaulted Monterey, and the
sound judgment and humanity with which he dictated and re
ceived the capitulation of that town. And they hold that
any attempt either in Congress, or on the part of the Lxecu
tive, or by any faction of political leaders, to detract from his
fame or to impair his usefulness in the high station he now
occupies, or to procure his recall from the command he now
holds, or by any means to supplant or injure him in the con- ,
fidence of the people, should be visited by the rebuke of every
lover of his country : that such an attempt is not only calcu
lated to dishearten the brave officers and men who are now
tijxhtitig the battles of the nation, but it would also be, much
more truly than charged by President Polk in Jus message
azainst such as chose to question the pplicy of the war, giv
ing very acceptable "aid and comfort" to the enemy, by its
tendency to relieve that enemy of the presence of one who has |
illustrated his march into their territory by a series of the most
brilliant victories in our annals.
12th. Resolved, That the Governor be requested to torwaru
a copy of these resolutions to each of the Representative, ol
this State in both branches of Congress.
THEATRICALS IN NEW YORK.
FROM THE HOME JOfUN AL.
Opening of Broadway Theatre.?Bv N. P.W illis.
On the highest undulation of the heaving serpent of Broad
way?the restless Leviathan who spouts at the Bowling
Green, show, bis teeth at the BatUry, and, after a deep down
curve at Canal street, slopes lingenngly upward, and flings
his glittering tu! into air in a Gothic spire-on the most vital
and vigorous point of this three-mile monster . vertebral ex
tension has suddenly arisen a new temple of the Muses.
(Upon second thought, we believe we have started upon
our description with too much cauvass. VS e will take in sail,
put back, and start again.)
The opening of the " Broadway Theatre has been the
event of the week. Its Aladdin-like rapidity of construction,
its showy exterior, and the promise contained in the wel -
known enterprise and tact of the proprietor, set public curiosi
ty agog, and the excitement was somewhat heightened by the
doubt whether the building would be readyr on the nigh for
which the first performance was advertised. I he windows
of splendidly-colored glass were put in during the a^noon
the sidewalk was covered with builder ? rubbish till night, a (
painters and plasterers, gilders and glazier- left the heuse to
make loom for the audience.
The effect on entering the house was l.riMiant iin
,reme. A descent of unusual depth carried the eye downthe ,
slope of an amphitheatre to the stage?the converging slopes,
parquette and dl, very richly drap. d, and the slopes of the ?
dress circle particularly glowing in the nich uphol"J"?
drawing room. A broad passage ran down to ^ ofdwatt*,
the parterre and ?? first row" (very wisely, we think) being
at one price, and equally desirable as ' places.
.old Siviie the architectural surface of the theatre, with the
exception of a grotesque figure of a Moor over each of the
chandeliers, who is in the attitude of feeding it with oi1,
the gaudineaa of color in these figures injured, watbough^
the effect of the house. The pillars which support the galle
ries are of cast iron, .light-looking and elegant, fluled 'O wh^
and gold. The private boxes .re extremely handwi^pla cs
to see and be seen in to great advantage. I he plafond of the
cedmg is in particularly good taste. The stage curtain did
not please us. Altogether, however, we htv,'^n"? ***?
in America of which the general effect is so good .and we see
that the firat talent, taste, and expenence have been brought
into nlav in ils construction.
Delat ed theatrical criticism would not interest our country
readers and our town readers see it sooner, and1 enough of it,
in the city papers. We will only add, therefore, that the
company seems a judiciously-picked one, and in Miss Rose
Telb?nwhat we -^^.m Lady
plaVTl, and every thing, from the ap^arance of Mr St
Luke in the orchestra to Barrett s to.* of ? Maria, (the
time we left,) wa. received with enthusiastic plaudits.
A, . liH-ation ?he Broadway Theatre is on the very best
*pot in the citv. ' It is accessible by all the omnibus lines, in
the^midst of the hotels, on high and wholesome grouiid. and
with its uiii>rr galleries opening on another aire. t. W e are
glad to hear that its purple is no particular ch? of pubhc
?id that it will Rive, in lU beautiful and conve
?? -?t ??">? ts"
public wishes to see. 1'he Hippodrome of Pans, as out read
rr. know i? visited by *he hrst classes, as an admirable foil
and variety to the opera and the rlas-ic theatre. There is a school
^^?omilhsd equestrians in France, whose perform
ances fee,I the same sen* of beauty to which sculpture nun a
, r, 1 ? ? confess we should like to see a refined and well
rondocted exhibition of .his kind take ./a turn at the Broa*
waV Theatre. The most refined circles enjoy this class ol
amusements, and they would rejoice to hare them elevated to
Ihe style and place of other theatrical exhibitions.
Thk Onrts ai.aust C^iawitt.?A correspondent I't the
St Louis Reveille relates the following .tory of an Irishman
?,hr, while in Canada, went to church, and after the sermon
*??>.
?< Well, round comes a bo* wid a hole in it?not a plate,
understand?ami th*- priest kept looking at me, hard, and
had nothing in my vest pocket but eight sovereigns and -
Knol.sh .hilling?the same sized coir., d'ye mind?and I '
' . .K I, re to take all out before him and give him the shil
Zrln UoZi <0 !>?'? ?? -> 11
know it wasn't a plotr, had I wished to make ctanu
here Iocs says I, and I put my fingers on the first com U'ttr
nnA ire now the vilyan's lock ; there was eight
. w? Kai who was injured severely a few day.
the falUns of ? heavy piece of timber on hoard a si?m
SWlSKii Cincinnati, is in a fair way of recovery.
HARVARD COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE.
At the recent commencement dinner, at Cambridge, Prew
dent Erturr ruse and said that, having performed one grate
ful duty in paying a tribute to the memory of departed bene
factors, it wan doubly incumbent on them not to forget the sur
vivors ; arid among the numerous living friends and patrons
of the University, he should be excused by every one
in singling out, on this occasion, the name of the Hon. Ab
bott Lawiiici, who had within a few weeks made a dona
tion to the Institution of tilty thousand dollars?* larger sum,
it is believed, than has ever been bestowed, in this country, in
, one gift, by a living benefactor. . I scarce know (continued
Mr. Everett) in what proper terms of unexaggerated justice
to speak ot this munificent endowment of a place of collegiate
education, made by a gentleman who has gone so far in hie
own person to show to what an extent such institutions may
be dispensed with. For we must repeat of Mr. Lawrence
what was so well said by a French Academist: ??Nothing ia
! wanting to his glory ; he is wanting to oura."
What is the need, it may be asked, of schools of scientific
and practical education, if, without them, minds and charac
ters like those of our benefactor can be formed. If an inti
mate acquaintance with the whole range of commercial infor
mation, on the highest and broadest scale ; if a knowledge of
every thing which pertains to our manufacturing system, not
, merely general knowledge but substantive familiarity with the
' matters of fact, so sure that fortunes are risked by himself and.
others on the accuracy of the calculations ; in a word, if com
plete mastery of all that makes a useful, intelligent, and pros
perous man can be attained without scientific schools, why
endow theru } Could not our friend have employed his money
better
Now this is a matter, gentlemen, which I am willing to
leave to him, and, for one, am satisfied with the use he makes
of it. Moreover, the question thus raised is' no new one ; it
applies to the whole work of education and all its institution*
They are intended for the majority of cases, not for the lew
exceptional individpals. The Franklins and the Fultons, the
Rumfords and the Lawrences, and the other great names of
' scientific and practical life, are their own teachers, their own
school. But why should we distrust the judgment of these
sell-taught men when they themselves proclaim the import
ance of early systematic education '
I admit that if any other way could bo pointed out in which
it were possible to educate any considerable part of the rising
generation into characters like that of our benefactor, it would
!>e time for academic men to despair. Why, even in point of
style, (which is thought more than most other accomplish
ments to require scholastic drilling,) I think I have never pe
rused a piece of English composition that I thought read much
better than Mr. Lawience's letter of the 7th -of last June, an
nouncing the fifty thousand dollars. Is there an equal number -
of sentences in Burke or Johnson more to the point ? What
is the tinxel of rhetoric to these few solid, plain-spoken, com
pendious paragraphs !
Nor are the moral qualities displayed by our Patron less
worthy of commendation than his liberality and discernment.
| It requires great courage to give away large sums of money in
. one's lifetime. I never blame the wealthy for reserving their
benefactions, particularly if at last they come to us j and I
am sure it is the height of injustice to compare them, as in the
stinging sarcasm of Pope?
To silver saints, by dying misers given,
To bribe the rage of ill-requited Heaven.
I I heard of rather a striking case a few years since, which
shows the strength of nerve needed by a man who is known
to have the ability, and suspected to have the disposition, to
be a " Mrecenas in the nineteenth century." An adventurer,
portionless, though belonging to a wealthy family, emigrated
< in his youth from Newcastle in England, found his way to
Vermont, or the northwestern part of New York, and passed
his lite for years in that region as a hard-working farmer. At
length, one bright morning in October arrives a spruce young
gentleman from the city of New York to inform Mr. Natois.
or Naturs, or something like it, (for that was the name,) that,
he was the heir of a foitune of five hundred thousand pounds
sterling. Not your "great Jennings property," nor your
" great Chase property," nor any other moonshine of that sort,
but bona fide pounds, shillings, and pence?coal mines, farms,
and three per cent, consols to the tune of half a million of
pounds. The worthy man at first supposed the good news to
lie a practical joke, and would give it no heed?was rather
annoyed at being trifled with, but slept upon it for a night,
and concluded the next morning to pocket the affront and the
legacy. He went down to New York and received undoubt
ed proofs of his good fortune, in the shape of various authen
tic documents from England, and began to show, by numer
ous acts of beneficence to those around him, that the bounty
of Providence had fallen into liberal hands. The news of his
wealth and generosity spread together, and the world of beg
gars, high and low, was in commotion. Individuals, institu
tions, and societies, (whether colleges and univeasities were
among them, I do not say;) committeea of every name and lor
every object, benevolent,* literary, educational, moral, patri
otic, electioneering, deputed and volunteer ; every person and
every thing that could move and beg, was at his door. To
use an expressive vulgarism, "it beat all natur j" it certainly
beat poor Mr. Naturs, and drove him out of the country.
He changed his name, took the first packet for Europe, bought
an old castle in Switzerland, and placed a moat and draw
bridge, and walls eleven feet thick, between himself and his
sturdy persecutors.
It is to lie hoped that our generous benefactor will not suffer
so severely for his munificence. But I should not lie at all
] surprised if, with a modesty not inferior to his liberality, he
had absented himself from us to-day to escafie another of the
penalties to which bountiful wealth is exposed, and withdraw
himself, if not from other solicitations, at least from our thanks.
But he must not, therefore, be defrauded of hia just meed
of praise, and I shall make an acceptable communication to
the company when I tell them that the Corporation have this
day passed a vote that, in token of their grateful acknowledg
ment of .Mr. Lawrence's liberality, and in perpetual commem
oration of the same, the Scientific School just founded in this
Seminary shall he called "Tar Lawbekce Scikhtiuc
School iw thk UjvivxasiTr at Cam.bbidoe." There, air,
if our sanguine li'ipes are not disappointed, it will live and be
remembered till the last traditions of New England ahall per
ish. There, while the pursuit and the diffusion of knowledge,
the training for usefulness, and the formation of character con
tinue to be the honest pride of our community, the recollec
tion of his bounty will be cherished and blessed. A succes
sion of generous young men, reared on this foundation, and
annually going forth to help forward, and often to guide, the
great industrial interest of the country, will forever do credit
to his memory. Yea, and so surely as intellect is destined to
outlive the vicissitudes of matter and sense ; so surely as a no
ble project aurvives the braaa or marble on which it is com
memorated ?even though the day should come (Heaven grant
it may be far, far distant!) when the new born city which he
and his enterprising associate* are calling into being shall have
sunk back to the dust from which it is now rising like an ex
halation, and all the Lowells and Lawrences which he and
they are planting over the land shall be like Bruges and Ghent,
and the other silent cities of Flanders, aye, like Carthage and
Tyre and Nineveh?even then, if we and those who succeed
us are faithful to our trust, his name and bis liounty sball be
held in ever fresh remembrance.
Richly as our lienefactor has earned for his name our bright
est crown of praise, it rests not alone on his acts of princely
munificence, various and multiplied as they are. It seems to
be a family trait; a vein of generosity runs through the blood.
They cannot help doing good.
We regret to learn that in a fight between Mr. Jobs I.
Jobkstox and Mr. Job a M. Elliott, in Warren county,
Virginia, on Sunday last, the latter gentleman was killed by
a stroke received with a fence rail ! We have heard nothing
of the circumstances relating to the affair, and forbear making
any comments. Mr. Johnston was recently a candidate for
the Legislature from Clarke and Warren, and Mr. Elliott was
one of the wealthiest and most influential citizens in the last
named county.? Virginia Free PrtMi.
Fatal RuroxTil.?We learn from the Marlboro' Gazette
that a man named Robert Grieraon shot s Mr. Beverly, from
which he died immediately, in a rencontre at tit. Leonard'*
Creek, Calvert county. Maryland, on Monday last.
A SECRET WORTH KNOWING.
It is the wonder of the ignorant that men with small capital
ail around them are successful in business, and rapidly acquiring
wealth, while they with enlarged means and opportunities are
scarcely making a living. Examples multiply on all sides^
as we look ar mnd among those with whom we'started in life,
of the value of brairu. In the puah and enter|?rise which dis
tinguish " Yankee land," the drone with money is soon passe J
in the race by the industrii/ua and energetic, with a will to da
and a head to plan. Yet how many with equal abilities
slumber, while a more open eyed a?d active neighbor gradu
ally steals away their business, and when it is gone ahake off
their drowsineaa, wonder at the decree of fate, and fail.
Shall we tell you, render, a simple secret, which, next to
industry and vigilance, has made more fortunsa than all the
smiles of the stars ' It is not eiiough that you have a well
chosen store and a well-selected .issortrnent of gooda j that yo?
open your store early in the morning and remain in it until
late at night i (th(*c are good things, and indispensable ;) the
few who pass by your place of business may aee and admire
your perseverance, but the public, the great number who buy,
what know they, in the whirl and excitement of a large city,
of the doings of a single emmet upon the hill. You must
speak to ntttobert, by the accredited organ* of communication,
through the journal? that reach the most eye.* and affect the
rmttt mind*. Do not aquander your money without an in
qeiry, but in the exerciss of .your reamm. Cireulsie the
knowledge of your business through those journsls which resch
the whole public. The ncu?paper? will enable you to accom
plish this. ? I'hilad. North American.