The Express.
London, England, 1850-04-17 00:00:00

matte soon afterwards retiring fom emigres,
Mr. CALHOUN, in his twenty-ninth year, oe-
espied that honourable and then highly responsible
post. It was in this capacity that, towards the clue
of the session, he reported and carried through the
house, the bill declaring war against Great Britain.
So prominent was the position sesumed by the yoang
and rising stateemene so the omission of his first
appearance in Washtubs.
-It was during this monism likewise that he first
developed to the pulls that firm and unoompro-
mising hostility to all sestristions upon trade, which
ever afterwards distinguished him. Even at the time
when they were mortal toes defensive measures by the
ent at Washiness, be boldly, and at no
Ectrtrleernlarisk to has popularity, attacked the embargo
and the restriction and non-importation acts as mea-
sures highly prejudicial in an economical point of
view, whilst they failed to sense the political object
which had led to their adoption. It was in delivering
himself of those opinions that he enunciated those
broad principles of ecocomioal science to which he
ever afterwards steadily adhered, and in the early
espousal of which he was ea far in advance
of nine-tenths of the leading 'statesmen of
his time. Notwithstanding this he has been
falsely accused by some, as the author of
the protective system in America. The charge, than
which none can be more unfounded, is made to rest
upon the fact that he wanted to and chiefly promoted
the high tariff of 1816. But that tariff was neither
proposed nor adopted with a view to protection, bet
simply with a view to revenue, the policy of the go-
vernment then being to raise as large a louts* u
possible, with a view to the speedy extinguishment
of the debt occasioned by the war. That the
tariff in question gave a great stimulus to
the manufacturing interest, which has since
been incessantly clamouriog for protection, is not to
be deoied ; but this was one of the results. hough not
' the object of the tariff. Since that time he struggled
to regulate the exigencies of the treasury by a con-
stant regard to the strictest economy, and to adjust
the tariff on an exclusively revenue baths. It was
during one of the meet eumarable of the contests to
which this quails gave rise, that. in 1832, he
threatened to dissever the Union, unless regard were
had, in the financial policy of the country, to the
interests of the south. At that time, he
obtained only a compromise, but his views and prin-
ciple' triumphed in 1846, when congress, confining
itself to its constitutional limits, adjusted the tariff
with a view solely to the exigencies of the revenue.
During the presidencyof Mr. MoNaon,for upwards
of seven years he presided over the war depart-
ment. About the close of Mr. MoNnoes second
term, he was nominated with five others for the
presidency. Hie name, however, was soon after-
wards withdrawn, and Mr. CALHOUN was chosen
vice president by a large majority. On the expiry
of his term he returned to the Senate, as one of
the two represrintatives of South Carolina, in which body
he remained till the hour of his death. It was also in the
Senate that, in 1846, he who had in 1812 successfully
advocated a resort to arms, when he regarded a differ-
ent roars inconsistent with either honour or safety—
calmly, resolutely, and successfully opposed the war-
like projects forced by a reckless band upon an imbe-
cile administration for an incommensurate ob-

ject. If Mr. CALHOUN was the author of
the declaration of war in 1812, it was to his tempe-
rate counsels and great influence that the world, in
a great degree, owed the maintenance of peace in
1846.