The Sun.
London, England, 1846-08-31 00:00:00

THE MEXICAN WAR.

The following Message had been sent to Congress
by the President :
" To the Senate and House of Representatives:—
" I invite your attention to the propriety of making
an appropriation to provide for any expenditures which
it may be necessary to make in advance for the purpose
of settling all our difficulties with the Mexican Republic.
It is my desire to terminate, as it originally was to avoid,
the existing war with Mexico, with a peace just and
honourable for both parties.
_ _

"It is probably that pie chief obstacle to be sur-
mounted in accomplishing this desirable object will be
the adjustment of the boundary between the two Re-
publics, which shall prove satisfactory and convenient to
both, and such as neither will hereafter repent. In the
adjustment of this boundary we ought to pay a fair
equivalent for any concessions which may be made by
Mexico. _ _

" Under the circumstances, and considering the other
clomplicated questions to be settled by negotiation with
the Mexican Republic, I deem it important that a sum of
money should be put under the control of the Executive,
to be advanced, if need be, to the Government of that
Republic immediately after the ratification of a treaty.
It might be inconvenient for the Mexican Government to
wait for the whole sum, the payment of which may be
itinulated by this treatyi,waii ratifid by
Senate, and an appropriation to carry it into e•ct made
ay Col gross.
" Indeed, the necessity for their delay might defeat
the object altogether. The disbursements of this money
,vould, of course, be accounted for not secret service
money, but like other expenditures. Two t,reoe.lents
far such a proceeding exist in past history during the
Administration of Mr. Jefferson, to which I w.,uld call
your attention. On the 20th of February, 1803, an
Act was passed appropriatng two million of dollars
'or the purpose of defraying any extraordiitar)
expenditures which may be inc:irred in the in-
tercourse between the United States and foreign
nations ; to he applied under the direction of the Pre
ident of the United States, who shall cause an account
thereof to tol laid befiire Congress as soon as may be ;
and on th 13th of Febru4ry, 1806, an appropriation was
made of the same nature and on the same terms. In

neither case was the money actually drawn from the
treasury; and I should hope a result in this respect
might be similar on the present occasion, although the
appropriation may prove indispensable in accomplishin
this object. I would, therefore, recommend the passage
of a law appropriating 2.000,000 dolls. to be placed 'at
the disposal of the Executive for the purpose I have in-
dicated. In order to prevent allanisapprehension, it is
my duty to state that, anxious ns I am to terminate the
existing war with the least possible delay, it will con-
tinue to be prosecuted with the utmost vigour. until a
treaty of peace shall be signed by the parties, and rati-
fied by the Mexican Republic.

." JAMES K. POLK."

The following documents, transmitted confidentially
to the Senate, and by that body considered in execu-
tive session, have since been released from the bond of

secresy.

" MR. BUCHANAN TO COMMODORE CONNIR.
" Department of State, Washington, July 27, 1846.
" Sir,—l have the honour to transmit herewiih
sealed note addressed to the Minister of Foreign Rela-
tions of the Mexican Republic, with an open copy of the
same for 3-our own use. From this you will perceive
that the President ha's determined again to offer the olive
branch to Mexico.
" The President does not believe that any point of
national honour should forbid him from making this
tender, especially after the glori, mg events which have
thus far marked the progress of the war. Should the
Mexican Government determine to ac,•ept the offer, and
enter upon negotiations, it may, and probably will, pro-
pose to you to conclude an armistice during their pen-
dency. If such a proposition should be made, you will
promptly, but kindly, reject it, giving, at the. same
time, every assurance that the President will do all in
his power to bring the negotiations to a stdsfactery ter-
mination with the least possible delay.
"If an armistice were concluded, the two parties
would not stand on an equal footing. The United States,
at a heavy expense, now have armies in the field, and
navies upon the ocean, in successful progress to conquer
an honourable peace. • Should their operations be ar-
rested by an armistice, and the negotiations for peace
should finally fail, we would then lose nearly all the ad-.
.vantages of an entire campaign: Besides, this sacrifice,
great as it might be, would scarcely equal the evils, in
every form, which a season of inactivity could not fail to
inflict upon our troops, the greater portion of whom
consist of patriotic citizens who have volunteered to
serve their country in the confidence that they would be
actively employed. W hils t, therefore, the President
sincerely desires, with the utmost promptitude, to re-
store our friendly relations with Mexico upon fair
and liberal terms, the war must coritiaue to be prose-
cuted with the utmost vigour, until a definite treaty of
peace shall be signed and ratified by Mexico
" You will not fail with all the dispatch in your power
to transmit the answer of the Mexican Government to
this department.
" I have the honour to be, Sir,
" Very respectfully, your iobehietit servant,
"J
j "
To Commodore DavidC,,,l3lS ti ,
CBoneltAlloroNii nAgN;h e
Naval_ Force of the United States in the Gull of Mexico."

" TO HIS EXCELLENCY THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN RE-

LATIONS OF THE MEXICAN REPUBLIC,

"Department of State,, Washi.gton. July 27, 1846.
"Sir.—The President of the United Stales, no less
anxious to terminate than he was to av,,d the present
unhappy' war with the Nlexiran It-pub;it., has deter-
mined to Make an effort to a,complish his purpose. He
has ac,!ordinzly instructed the undersig,nd Sccrttary of
State to propose, through your Exc,ll, iwy, to the Mex-
ican Government, that nugotiathins shall forthwith com-
mence for the conclusion of n peace just and honourable
to both parties. Should this off r he rect.ived and re-
sponded to by the Mexiran Gov rnment in the same
frank and frion tl sArlt by which it 11:-.s been thetvt,o.
he will immedi:it- ly disp:teh an Envoy Extratirdii:nry
and Minister Ple,,i oleo. y t!,- city of Mexico, with
instructions and eO-4(.lafte a treaty of
peace which shdi cr, tpti,s,-ions in dispute bt-
tween the two republics. If the Mexican Government
should prefer to send a Minister to Washington to con-.
duct the new,t;ations hare, he shall he r ived with

Tort ;,.110,

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k conunuuieittiou it is deetaed useless,