The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-16 00:00:00

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important and happy change ; but especially as it relates
to the recent difficulties between the Governments of
Great Britain and the United States. You will readily
imagine the sincere pleasure the Oregon arrangement has
afforded me. For many years, at home and abroad, I
have been the untiriag and zealous advocate of peace
with all the world, but in particular with Great Britain,
because a war with that country, from her great power
and immense resources, would prove of a most terrific
and destructive character to the United States, and be-
cause the two nations speak the same language : their
people, in many instances, are connected by the ties of
blood, and almost universally by commercial transac-
tions. Awful, indeed, would be that war which watild
produce such results as those to which I refer.
It is true there are two sides to this question. The
Americans, in the event of a war, could and would in-
flict deep and lasting wounds upon their enemy—wounds
that never, no, never, could be healed—wounds upon
their commerce, upon their manufactures, upon their
provinces. But why pursue this subject? It would be,
after all, in the language of Mr. Jefferson, " only trying
which could do the other the most harm."
I am mortified to say, and yet truth requires that i
should be said, that to the manly and frank policy o
the British Ministry are_we indebted for an honourable
adjustment of pending difficulties. It would be worse
than ridiculous to attempt evasion on the present occa-
sion. Let it then be distinctly understood, that Presi-
dent Polk and his advisers, the "Fifty-four forty"
men, were for war. They were for the " whole, or none
of Oregon," reckless of consequences.
The question naturally arises, what was their object ?
I answer, self-aggrandisement ; to perpetaate their
political ascendancy. A war, Mr. Polk hoped, would
re-elect him. By means of the millions to be expended
in carrying on that war the corrupt tools of power
would be increased in number and subserviency. The
welfare and the honour of the country never entered
info the calculation. The only questions that were
mooted in dark divan were—will the proposed measures
promote the party ? —and can we succeed ?
For a time these half. deluded men imagined that they
held the game in their own hands. They were insolent
and overbearing. At length, however, their attempt at
dictation aroused some of the members of that elevated
Ind truly noble body, the Senate of the United States.
These Senators spoke (and their voices were heard from
the vallies to the hill-tops) with the calm dignity and
kftßeseteee--of,American statesmen. The " Fifty-four
forty" Men, for a moment, were astounded and para-
lysed ; and now commenced their contortions and twist-
jugs, which were continued until their extinction.
While these movements were progressing in the
Senate, the people read with great avidity and increased
marks of approbation the debates in that honourable
body. It was soon discovered that a very large majority
of the intelligent and respectable portion of the com-
munity were decidedly opposed to a war with Great
Britain, and to all and every measure calculated to
produce such a state of things. They no longer doubted
that the British had an equitable claim to a portion of
Oregon, and therefore they were for an adjustment by
honourable compromise
It was now that Mr. Polk discovered, perhaps sooner
than his advisers, that the brawling and turbulent
" Fifty-four forty" men were rapidly sinking into insig-
nificance, and would soon find themselves deserted even
by those who had professed to be their followers. Mr.
Polk then found himself and his colleagues in error,
bound hand and foot by the Senate. He well knew that
no declaration of war could pais that body; that no law
authorising the President to take possession of Oregon
or to establish a government over that territory could bo
adopted. In short, that nothing remained fur him but
to negotiate.
Thus circumstanced, what was he to do ? He was
pledged, in the most solemn manner, to the Baltimore
Convention, for " all or none of Oregon." The " Fifty-
four forty" men had demanded of him fealty, and he had
sworn it. His western advocates were becoming
clamorous for a redemptiou of his pledges. In short,
whichever way he cast his eyes, he saw nothing but in-
creased and increasing difficulties before him.
What next ? He determined, in the hope of escap.
ing uninjured, to abandon, on the question, the Balti-
more Convention, the "Fifty-four forty" men, and his
western champions}--all, all, at one fell swoop. But
how was this to be effected with the least personal
political injury ? By diplomacy he ascertained what the
British were willing to do, and resolved on acceding to
their terms. This would have been well enough, if there had been in it no treachery to friends. But the farce
does not end here.