The Sun.
London, England, 1838-02-05 00:00:00

SPIRIT.' OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

In co asidering the general aspect of the recent Ame-
rican leetelligence which our express from Fiditibuth
enaleied us to lay before the readers at the Morning.
Chronicle exclusively nn Saturday, the most impor-
tant question which arises icen) doubtless as to the result
of the collisio n which bas already taken place, and of
which further: instatreee may probably occur between
the militia i,nd eal-eier forces assembled on the frontier
of Upper 'Cat-nada, for the protection of the province,
and the I-Ands of pirates or self-styled patriots, who
menace the province with invasion and pillage, un-
der the, pretence of establishing independence and
a line-rad or republican government. The insur-
reeti,,n attempted for that purpose has been
-:ttrrinptly and effectually suppressed, not by military
force, but by the spontaneous movement of the
'loyal inhabitants of the province ; and therefore
it is only a pretence and a fallacy to treat any con-
test with the people assembled on Navy Island as an
insurrection or a civil war, in which the American
authorities could be justified in professing neutrality,
anti affecting to treat the parties as belligerents entitled
to equal rights on the shores or in the waters of a neu-1
tral power. The parties in reality are, on the one side,
the authorities and the inhabitants of au important
province of the British empire, and on the other, a
band of lawless adventurers, chiefly as it seems Ame-
ricans, drawn together by the hope of plunder, and
permitted by the local authorities of the State of
New York to collect in that State arms, ammuni-
tion, and other supplies for the invasion of the Bri-
tish territor), while the Governor of that State de-
nounces the first attempt of the British inhabitants
at retaliation as " an outrage of a most aggravated
character." Of that attempt, which led to tilt
destruction of the steam-boat Caroline, we hae,.e vet
only the statements on one side of the. tittt sewn, and it
is of little use to argue the ine-Atts of that case on such
imperfect information. e are, therefore, for the
present willing to ado Lit the opinion expressed by Mr.
Rhea in Congress,, which was, that he " could not
yet make up hl:es mind whether this act of cutting out
the boat vva:e right or wrong, until he should have the
full fae:e before him. Tere had been a constant
communication between the Canadian shore and the
United States shore ; and one means of communi-
cation had been this very boat. If she was sup-
plying the people on Navy Island with men and
munitions of war, he was inclined to believe that
M‘Nab's troops had done what any other men
would have done under the same circumstances."
The temperate and reasonable tone of the rest
of the same discussion in Congress, as well as
the President's proclamation, inspire us with the hope
notwithstanding the popular ebullition excited in the
western part of the State of New York, by what their
journals represent as an invasion of their territory, yet
that there is no probability of that ebullition spreading
to the Federal Congress at Washington, or even to the
State Lregislature in Albany, although certainly
Governor Marcy seems to have been in the first in-
stance -influenced by it. We attach much importance
to the mission of General Scott, who has been sent to
cotrimand the United States forces on the frontier, and
wileese well-known character is a pledge that while he
-will he prompt in repelling any aggression on the
territory of his own country, he will be equal,;
careful not to eanction or permit aggression on the
adjacent territory of a friendly power, rend that he
will know better than the local authorities at
Buffalo and Schlosser seem to have done, how to
prevent the violation of read neutrality by such pro-
ceedings as those autho6tles have suffered to take
place, if not actually 'encouraged. This opinion is
founded on the behest which we entertain that Presi-
dent Van Buren 'S proclamation expresses the real sen-
snouts of the American Government, and that General
Scott's instructions will be to carry the same bona fide
into effee:c. 'We know that such is the true interest
of the American people, and we believe it will be
found to be the prevailing opinion of their representa-
tives throughout the Union, unless in certain sections
of the states of New York, Vermont, and Maine.
Indeed, it would not he difficult to show that the
United States have a direct interest in discouraging all
attempts to detach the Canadas from this country.
Were the Canadas to be added to the Union, this
would so alter the relation which the slave-holding
States bear to the rest, and give such a pre-
ponderance to the States which dq not pos-
sess slaves, that a dissolution of the Union
would become almost inevitr'ote. The conse-
quences which would result from an attempt to
annex the Canadas to the r‘lttion are so impressed on
American statesmen of ..rte least reflection, that they
must wish the Canadas to remain connected with this
country for the sake of their own internal tranquillity.
It may not be ieatmaterial here to point out some of
the causes wiaich have tended to so prompt an assem-
blage of adventurers as volunteers at Navy Island, on
the suirdnons of a refugee rebel from Upper Canada,
offeriug them plunder and land as the rewards for an
invasion of that province. The northern part of the
state of New York, and particularly the district from
Rochester to Buffalo, is a country very recently and
most rapidly settled and peopled ana improved, in-
somuch that the city of Buffalo itself, which now
contains near 30,000 inhabitants, was only a mere
village some twelve yeas ago, and other towns
on the line to Roeleester have risen with great,
rapidity, and the improvements of roads; ca-
nals, railewaye, and buildings have 'Kept pace
with the. increase of population. The capital for
these improvements has been s'4plied by speculation,
and by the facilities of banking accommodations
which have been carried to such extent in the United
states, and have ied to such deplorable results. The
failure of n'athlmn, who may be called the founder
of Buffal:), for three millions of dollars—one moiety of
which. 'was obtained by discounting forged eetepi-
Inv.:es—is only one instance Of the manner in which
funds were obtained for many of these rapid improve-
ments ; and the faiinre of the banks last year, and
consequent interruption of the accumtomed suppliee,
has cast out of employment, not merely multitudes of
labourers and araans, but also bankrupt traders, ruined
speculators, and many other classes of adventurer!.
hanging loose upon society, full of enterprise, and with-
out much scruple as to any moral or political oblioa.,
tion. The same district is also the usual route for the
annual swarm of emigrants from the Eastern and
Middle States to the " far IVest ;" and Buffalo is
the regular port of embarkation for those pioneers of
cultivation (we can scarcely say civilization), tho
plunge into the forest, trusting for the TIWAII3 of sub-
sistence to the rifle, the axe, and the hoe, and to whom
the promised 300 acres of laud in Upper Canada is a
tempting allurement when compared with a squatter's
title in the distant regions of Illinois or \Viscousin.
These arc the materials of which Mr. Mackenzie's
band of soi-disant patriots is chiefly composed; and
ic General Scott does his duty, and prevente them from
receiving supplies from the American territory, they
wilt speedily inch away without any attack on them
becoming necessary ; and, indeed, we can scarcely ima-
gine from what source they can continue to obtain sup-
plies, even if General 'dealt should not interfere with
them, because pl;avisions and munitions of war cost
money, and fa is 'difficult to discover whence the money is
to con;,, as it is scarcely probable that the broken banks
of Buffalo or Rochester will to any extent discount
Mr. Nl‘Kenzie's drafts on the Utopian provisional
Government of Upper Canada. We observe some
reports that steamers have been hired at Buffalo to
convey the " Patriot forces" from Navy Island to
join Dr. Dunc-.)inbe at Malden, and these reports
contain tlie Only intelligence we have of that worthy
sin fee he raised the standard of revolt in the London
district. If he be really at Maiden, which is on the
frontier, at the mouth of the Detroit river, it must be
as a fugitive driven away, or having made his escape
from, the London district, and looking for assistance
from the American side of the river in the same man-
ner as IVPlCenzie at Navy Island ; nor is it all im-
possible that from the Detroit district of the new
State of Michigan he may obtain some " volun-
teers" of the same description as the Buffalo Pa-
Wont. In short, the question of peace or war with
Great Britain depends
upon the American Govern-
went. There are enough of steamers on Lake Erie,
and we fear enough of desperadoes on the northern
frontier of the states of New York, Ohio, and
Michigan, to attempt 'piratical inroads on the op-