The Sun.
London, England, 1830-01-08 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALR.

The Message of President Jackson to the
Legislature of the United States; at the opening
'of Congress, on the Bth ult.; arrived in the
course of yesterday afternoon, and will be found
in our present number. Upon the cursory
perusal which we have been enabled to give this
very voluminous but important paper, we must
say, that since the time of Washington we have
not seen any official communication from the
First Magistrate of the United States, contain-
ing, together with so much that was interesting
and valuable, so little that was objectionable to a
Statesman, or offensive to men of right feeling
and good taste. As a political composition,
the Message of the Bth ult. is characteristic of
the qualities which have usually been ascribed to
General Jackson. It is shrewd, decided, and
perfectly uncompromising, with more of that
sort of dignity which belongs to moderation of
language than some people would perhaps have
anticipated from the veteran soldier. General
Jackson does not shrink from a clear and
straightforward representation of the bearings of
any question which he is officially called upon to
notice ; nor from a voluntary discussion of one or
more (relating chiefly to internal politics) of which
the proposition might, by persons of a more in-
direct character, have been left as a task for others.
With relation both to foreign and home affairs,
there is a great portion of this Message worth
studying. But vigour of temperament, we may
be allowed to add, is a more conspicuous trait
throughout, than depth or extent of intellect.
We have leisure to touch upon only one or two
paragraphs of this comprehensive Message. After
opening the " foreign relations" ofthe Republic,
by stating that, although in general pacific,
" they present subjects of difference between us
and other Powers of deep interest to the
country at large, and to many of our citizens,"
—further, that " nottvithstandingthe difficulties
of the task, I do not allow myself to apprehend
unfavourable results ;" and that " it is my set-
tled purpose to ask nothing that is not clearly
right, and to submit to nothing that is wrong,"
the President proceeds to announce, that " of
the unsettled matters between the United States
and other Powers, the most prominent are those
which have for years been the subject of negoti-
ation, with England, France, and Spain." The
following paragraph affords the view which is
entertained, or at least which is countenanced,
by General Jackson, of the position of the
great boundary question now at issue between
Great Britain and America. We are especially
anxious to offer our tribute to the manly,
neighbourly, and honourable spirit in which
General Jackson expresses his feelings towards
this country
With Great Britain, alike distinguished in
peace and war, we may look forward to years of
peaceful, honourable, and elevated competition.—
Every thing in the condition and industry of the
two nations is calculated to inspire sentiments of
mutual respect, and to carry conviction to the minds
of both, that it is their policy to preserve the most
cordial relations. Such are my own views, and it is
not to be doubted that such are also the prevailing
sentiments of our constituents. Although neither
time nor opportunity has bee-mat:forded for a fullde•
velopment of the policy which the present tAtinct:i.
of Great Britain designs to pursue towards this
country, I indulge the hope diet it will be of a Just
and pacific character; and if this anticipation be
realised, we may look with confidence to a speedy
and acceptable adjustment of our affairs.
" Under the Convention for regulating the refer-
ence to arbitration of the disputed points of
boundary under the fifth article of the Treaty of
Ghent, the proceedings have hitherto bean con-
ducted in that spirit of candour and liberality which
ought ever to characterise the acts of Sovereign
States, seeking to adjust, by the most unexception-
able means, important and delicate subjects of con-
tention. The first statements of the parties have
been exchanged, and the final replication on our
part is in a course of preparation. This subject has
received the attention demanded by its great and pc-
; culiar importance to a patriotic member of the Con-
federacy. The exposition of our rights, already
sexhpvewt.homouirt
made, is such, as, from the high reputation of the
inn:ie.:l7cent tprepared,lieCou t
of
the Sovereign, who has evinced his friendly disposi-
tion by assuming the delicate task of arbitration,
have been committed to a citizen of the State of
Maine, whose character, talents, and intimate ac-
irsisgil°ltnetO
with the subject, eminently qualify him
quaintance
wa
for so responsible a trust.
Cijoularima
With full confidence in
the justice of our cause, and in the probity, intelli-
gence, and uncompromising independence of the il-
lustrious arbitrator, we can have nothing to appre-
hend from the result."

We are sure that there is no good or intelli-
gent Englishman who will not go his full half-
way to meet the proffered friendship of the Ame-
rican citizen; and we believe, in the growing
persuasion amongst us, that none but madmen
here, or in America, will wantonly risk an inter-
ruption of that precious harmony. With regard
to the New Brunswick boundary, we are of opi-
nion that the President would have sacrificed
none of the existing or contingent rights of the
Republic, by a simple communication to his
fellow-citizens that the litigated point was now
before the King of the Netherlands, as an arbi-
trator mutually chosen, without any flourish
about the " justice" of the American cause, or
his confidence " in the result" of the arbitration.
The truth we believe to be, that through a mere
stupid blunder of our negotiator at Ghent, an
opening was left for a verbal construction of the
clause respecting boundaries, which construction
(though we would not be understopd as blaming
the American Government for unfairness) has
been 'at variance with the manifest sense of the
executing parties to the convention, and 'there.
fore with the spirit of the treaty itself. As for
the results of a decision favourable to the claim
of the Americans, we need only say, that one of
them would be to cut off effectually the com-.
munication between Nova Scotia, New Bruns-
wick, and Quebec ; while a second result would
be to transfer from the British colonies, to the
state of Maine, the entire command of the St.
Lawrence, from Quebec downwards. Whether
such a consequence could have been intended by
any man owning allegiance to the British Crown,
is a question easily answered ; and a question
which we, having no less confidence than is de-
clared by General Jackson, in the honour and
discrimination of the King of the Netherlands,
are apt to think will not be OVerlooked- by that
sovereign, in his quality of an upright arbitrator,
—Times.

An evening Paper—of which it is:the great
distinction that it is never correct either in its
facts or its reasoning—put forth last night th©
following announcement :