The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-28 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 28, 1859.

BRITISH COL UMBLI.

(From the Correspondent of the Times.)
VICTORIA, Nov. 10.

Since I last alluded t• the San Juan difficulty
with the United States their authorities on the island,
both civil and military, have been guilty of many
petty acts calculated to annoy the British authori-
ties and subjects, and to keep up the irritation pro.
duced by the invasion and subsequent occupation of
the disputed territory.
For instance, they arrested, fined, and imprisoned
a British subject for selling a few bottles of spirits
on the island, and only liberated him after he was
mulcted in some of the dollars found in the poor
fellow's pocket, and of which he was eased Again,
some American, usurping the authority of collector
of Customs, seized the baggage of Major de Courcy,
the English stipendiary magistrate resident on the
island, on occasion of his return from a trip on offi-
cial business to Victoria the other day, and the
baggage was only restored at the instance of Capt.
Prevost, in command of her. Majesty's ship Satellite,
stationed off the island. Both these outrages were
perpetrated under colour of the exclusive sove-
reignty assumed on the first landing of the Ameri-
can forces, which it is pretended justified the ex-
tension of the. United States' revenue laws to San
Juan. Considering that General Harney admitted
his proceedings were taken on his own responsi•
bility, and without authority from the United States'
Government, the commission of such acts as these,
pending the receipt of advices from Washington,
could only have been prompted by wantonness, or
as a direct insult, or on purpose to provoke a na-
tional quarrel.
To carry out the principle of exclusive Sove-
reignty to its utmost extreme, on Capt. Prevost hav-
ing caused a pathway to be cut through the bush on
the shore to facilitate the communications of his
officers on land, the road was no sooner finished than
an American sentinel was placed over it. This
act was excused on the plea that the sentry was put
there to prevent " loafers" from using the road ;
but the validity of this excuse is negatived by the
fact that on Captain Prevost making another road
it was left without a sentry.
There is also the case of some fishermen from Vic-
toria having been driven away at tho point of a
loaded'rifle from fishing in the disputed waters be-
tween San Juan and Lopez Island, on the east of
the former, on the plea that they were trespassing'
on American waters. This act is not charged di-
rectly to the American authorities, but it is a corol-
lary to the unlawful assumptions made by them on
the island.

We bore this and a great deal more of a similar
character with the best grace we could, firm in the
hope that the good sense and good feeling of the
two Governments would adjust all differences and
remove all causes:of irritation and ill-feeling between
people who have every interest to be on good terms
with each other.

It is proper that I should qualify my condemna-
tion of the proceedings at San Juan by doing the
officers stationed there the justice of saying that, so
far as they are personally concerned, nothing could
be more correct, officer-like, and gentlemanly than
their conduct and demeanour. They have had to
perform very reluctantly a most odious and dis-
agreeable duty, and they performed it with amenity,
while they were much disgusted with the service
they were engaged in. Nor is the General Govern-
ment chargeable with any of the monstrous, acts of
General Harney, who took his measures without in-
structions.

While we were waiting in much anxiety to know
how the two Governments would act in the premis-
ses, General Scott, the Commander-in-Chief of tho
American Army, who, as you must be aware, was
despatched from Washington on purpose on a
mission of peace and amity to settle the affair,
arrived some 10 days ago, and immediately on his
arrival opened a correspondence with Governor
Douglas, offering the withdrawal of some of the
American forces, and proposing a joint military
occupation of the island, to be continued by an equal
force of English and American soldiers until the
question of the title should be settled by the two
Governments by diplomacy.
A joint military occupation was declined by the
Governor, but a joint civil occupation proposed by
him. This was rejected by General Scott, and after
some parleying on paper, in which the best possible
feeling was displayed on both sides, the General
determined to remove all the troops and artillery,
except Captain Pickett's company, which was the
first that landed on and occupied the island. lie
has issued an order to this effect, of which he sent
the Governor a copy ; and the day before yesterday
the General called at the island, but did not land, to
enforce the execution of his order. Thus the matter
stands. The several companies are ordered back to
their different posts in Washington Territory and
Oregon; except Captain Pickett's company of 50
men, who are ordered to remain on the island.

All that the Governor could do in this stage of
the affair, while he is without orders from his Go-
vernment (not yet due by the ordinary course of
post) was to express his satisfaction at the removal
of so many of the American troops, which he hopes
is an earnest of the intention of the United States
Government to restore the status of the island to what
it was before Harney's invasion, and to state that
he would report proceedings to his Government.
It will occur to any one conversant with this
transaction, as I formerly reported it with much
minuteness of detail, that our proper and only
course would have been, as we have never landed a
man on the island, to require the status quo ante to
be restored by the removal of all the American forces
before we treated. This was Mr. Douglas's view, and
he urged it, but General Scott would not accede to
it. In fact, as the matter now stands, we neither
consent to nor refuse anything, and are not com-
mitted to anything.
The General asserts that a small military force is
necessary for the protection of the American citi-
zens who, he assumes, were settled on the island be-
fore the " occupation," and who have since that cele-
brated event settled on it, from distant and from
neighbouring Indian tribes.

I give General Scott credit for believing that his
assumptions are justifiable. The representations
sent from this quarter to Washington induced the
Government there to suppose a state of matters to
exist on the island which in fact never did exist;
and I have no doubt that the stories t old the Gene-
ral since his arrival have led him into a false belief
on the same subject.
I will point out these fallacies in a few words.
General Harney's alleged reasons for occupying
the island (apart from the absurdity of the alleged
intention of our authorities to abduct one of his
countrymen, who had wantonly killed a pig belong-
ing to a British subject) were to afford protection
to Americans settled on tho island who had peti-
tioned for such protection; and it was urged at a
later period that the island was required for pro-
tecting the American frontier against Indian in-
cursions.

Now, the fact is that there never were any Ame-
ricans settled on the island before the General's in-
vasion of it. I happened to visit the island on a
pleasure trip a short time before the General took
it under his protection. I rode over it from end to
end, and explored it pretty thoroughly. I made
particular inquiries of the Hudson's Bay Company's
resident Superintendent as to the number of Ame-
rican squatters, for the reason that I knew of at-
tempts being in contemplation at that time to squat
upon it ; and this gentleman informed me that there
never had been any permanent settlers upon it.
There were on it at the time of my visit four Ame-
ricans who might be called squatters, because they
"claimed" land. Three of this "population" of
squatters I saw and conversed with. One of them
was a black man, born, as I understood, in the An-

tilles, on. British soil, and whose chief inducement
for staying on the island was, that he had an cn•
gagement from the Superintendent. I doubted his
being an American citizen, but was told that as he
had resided for some time in Washington Territory
"he could pass for one." -He " claimed" a valley
in the centre of the island, his claim to be realised
on the island being declared American territory,
and I must do him the justice to say that he had
evinced some degree of judgment in his selection of
a "location," and had "cast his lines in pleasant
places." He had ho terror of the Indians, for he
lived alone, at several miles distance from other
habitations. The next squatter was a veritable
American, who had been " off and on" the island
for some time, and who had a small patch of pota-
toes. He had no fear of ladians, for his" location"
was close to the company's establishment—every-
where a protection in such cases. The third squatter
was also an American. He admitted that he came
to the island under encouragement from the autho•
rities of Washington territory, who promised him
that the United States' Government would protect
him. He had about two rods grubbed up and
planted with potatoes, which " possession" I saw
afterwards dignified in some of the American papers
as a " farm !" This jolly Citizen I should have sup-
posed had little dread of Indians either, for lie had
a squaw living with him in his tent. Next day
after learning the fact just narrated I observed the
shell of a house half-finished of rough boards, on
the eastern slope of the island, and was told that it
had been partly erected by a squatter No. 4; but,
as he had not been seen for some time, it was sup-
posed that he had abandoned his intention of "set-
tling," and had left tire island.
This was, to my knowledge, the exact state of
matter's up to a very short period before the inva-
sion. But just before that event some persons
landed on the island and went through the sham of a
public meeting under the auspices of an American,
who held the nominal office of sub-collector of Cus-
toms, and " got up" a petition to Gen. Harney crav-
ing protection against Indians. I have seen the
petition, and it is a tissue of misrepresentation
which I can refute, and which no one here ever be-
lieved a word of. The whole " plant" was concocted
in Washington territory to induce or justify Gen.
Harney's action.
So much for the American settlers forming the
population which existed before the General's ac-
tion in the premises; and as to the population
since accrued, it is composed of suttlors and camp
followers—of a population consequent, in short,
upon the " occupation," and which will vanish with
the removal of the soldiers. To this latter I may
add some fresh squatters who came with and fol-
lowed the expedition to the island.
Of the plea that San Juan is neccessary for the
protection of the American frontier, I can only say
from my personal knowledge of the locality and of
the course of voyaging of the northern Indians,
whom the Americans dread so much, that if Indians
on a foray in American waters or on American
territory by land should ever make this island they
would go very much out of their way. Military and
naval men competent to judge laugh at the plea set
up by the American General on this score.
These are facts which will be new to the Ameri-
can Government, and which, I believe, Gen. Scott is
not cognizant of; but they justify us in declining a
joint military occupation, which, if agreed to before
the withdrawal of all the American forces, would
really be. a condonation by us of Gen. Harney's oc-
cupation, and an admission of the validity of the
claim of exclusive sovereignty over the island made
by his lieutenant. _ _ _

The British subjects here, with their knowledge
of facts, are very much dissatisfied that Gen. Scott
did not remove all the troops, and they are decidedly
adverse to a joint military occupation.
To sum up, my own humble opinion is that
General Scott has not done what was incumbent
upon his Government. If they felt that Harney
was right they ought to have supported his mea-
sures. Having admitted that he was wrong, or at
any rate had committed a mistake, they ought to
have withdrawn all their troops. and then treated
for ulterior measures. And as to a military occu-
pation on our part, I consider it, other reasons
apart, totally unnecessary, because our subjects do
not require protection from Indians,with whom they
live in amity, and have so lived for the last five
years that they have occupied the island; because,
Also, we do not encourage or permit any more British
subjects to settle on the island until the title
is deterthined ; because the expense and inconve-
nience of keeping up a military force in the island
are uncalled for and would be a mere waste ; be-
cause we want our soldiers elsewhere : because we
have strictly observed the arrangement made with
the American Government, at its own invitation,
to let matters remain as they were at that time ;
and because there is no reason why we should be
put to tho inconvenience of a military occupation
because General Harney chose to disregard and
break the stipulations of his own Government.
The American are acting in bad taste in keeping
a single soldier on the island if they know the facts
of the case. Some Americans admit that neither
the Government nor General Scott dare face public
opinion if they withdrew the troops. There is
much in this, I admit, for their consideration ; but
it is surely not a good reason for us that they con-
tinue a wrong rather than face public clamour from
the intemperate portion of their countrymen—the
" Spread Eagle" apostles. All right•thinking Ame-
riaans condemn General Harney's conduct as much
as we do ; but I have exhausted the subject, and will
merely call the attention of our own Government
to the unsatisfactory state of the question at pre-
sent, and urge the Cabinet to lose no timein having
the title settled.
I had a striking illustration of the validity of the
British claim to the island the other day. An Ame-
rican gentleman, well acquainted with navigation,
who was strongly convinced of the validity of his
country's claim, was put to this test. The treaty
was put into his hands and the chart placed before
him, and he was asked to trace the line from the
text of the treaty. He tried hard, but could not by
any ingenuity run it into the Canal do Haro. He
admitted that, if ever America gets the Canal de
Haro, as she claims, the treaty certainly does not
give it to her.
It is perhaps needless to add that, so far as we
can judge, there is not the slightest chance of a col-
lision or even of any further ill-feeling between the
two nations upon this vexed question of San Juan.
General Scott leaves to-morrow for San Fran-
cisco, where he will remain for some time,
and I trust that, with the new lights which will in
the meantime be thrown upon the subject, he will
become convinced of the propriety of removing all
the soldiers from San Juan. But whether he does
or does not is of far less importance than the final
adjustment of the boundary line.
The news from the mines is very good. New gold
diggings arc continually being discovered, and the
quantity of gold got out is considerable; but a
great many miners are leaving for California at
the approach of winter, owing chiefly to the exorbi-
tant prices of provisions caused by the difficulty of
communication. Without the formation of roads to
facilitate transport and intercourse I am certain
that British Columbia will never progress ; and, as
the resources of the colony are inadequate, I see no
means of securing an object which will cost a con-
siderable outlay unless the home Government takes
the matter in hand. 1 think the prospects of the
country fully justify the expectation that it could
afford to pay the interest of a loan and repay the
principal; but at present with so small a popula-
tion, to defray the first cost of road-making to the
required extent is out of thp question. The revenue
now pays all the civil expenses, and has afforded
some aid to the road-making.

Victoria is progreasing'steadily, and business hss
been quite brisk during the last few months.

LO.R.D WENSLEYDALE ON. TILE RIFLE
cures xo vi is

A public meeting convened by advertisement was
held on Saturday, at the Shire-hall, Bedfordshire,
for the purpose of organising measures for the esta-
blishment of a comity rifle force—Sir G. Osborne,
Bart., in the chair. Lord Wensleydale, Rev. Lord
John Thynne, Mr. IL Littledale, Mr. Crewe Alston,
-Colonel Lindsell, Colonel Higgins, Captain Polhill-
Turner, Colonel W. Thornton, Major Cooper, &c.,
were present.
The CHATiIMAN, in opening the proceedings, said
nothing but a deep conviction of the unparalleled
importance of the movement could have induced
him to take a leading part 'on?} the present occasion.
A patriotic spirit pervaded the length and breadth
of the land ; men of all classes—of every shade of
opinion—of every pursuit and profession—were
uniting in furtherance of a common object, for the
accomplishment of a common purpose ; and every
man of courage appeared to take a deep interest in
the all-absorbing topic. The question to which he
referred related to the national defences, but he
hoped they would. never want a body of men suffi-
ciently. numerous to defend their country, their
wives, their children, and their property. (Applause.)
. Lord WENsLEY-DALE said it was with very sincere
pleasure he listened to the call of his hon. friend
the chairman of this meeting. He was going to
move a resolution which be might say would not
only obtain the approval of those present, but of
the county at large. The object of it was to declare
the necessity of having an armed body of Men in
the county. (Hear, hear.) Although he was uncon-
nected with this county in point of property, he
had lived in it more than 20 years, and had met
with sucltuniforni kindness that he could not help
taking as deep an interest in its welfare as though
he was the proprietor of a large and extensive estate,
and as great a desire to assist in upholding the good
reputation of the ccunty of Bedford—(hear, hear)—
but he feared that reputation would suffer if they
did not follow the example of the neighbouring
comities, and he might acid the great hulk of the
counties throughout England. Ho considered it to
be their duty to place their empire in a state of de-
fence, so as to be prepared against the probability,
under whatever contingency, of an invasion. (Hear.)
He did not feel himself called upon to express an
opinion as to the probability of an invasion at an
early period ; he. did not think they ought to calcu-
late upon that ; but he might express himself in
the language of a very able leader and illustrious
man, who had recently been travelling about the
northern counties, enlightening the people by his
extensive knowledge and profound wisdom. This
friend of his of upwards of fifty years had in two
sentences stated the question so forcibly that it was
impossible to give a clearer view of the principle
which should guide the present movement. He
said, "Do not mistrust your neighbours, but trust
to yourselves." (Applause.) Now, he could himself
rely with confidence on the declaration made by
that extraordinary man the Emperor of the French,
that he was friendly to this country. He did not
believe the reports that the French people were
hostile to England ; and especially the great body
of the good and sensible had no unfriendly
feelings towards us. But as in individuals,
so in nations; an individual was subject to
ebullitions of passion when he found his own in-
terest assailed, so in the case of nations, though it
was the interest of all, and particularly of this coun-
try, on account of her commerce and manufactures,
to be at peace. But still, although they had been
assured of the Emperor's friendship and that of the
nation over which he governed, yet the same rule
must apply to them as in private life ; the French
people were a proud and susceptible race, and it
Was impossible to tell what might arise to indispose
them to remain at peace with this country. (Hear.)
These considerations, however, ought not to weigh
with them for a moment, for he contended the coun-
try ought to be placed in such a condition as to be
able to meet any contingency, whatever might
happen. (Hear, hear.) He was sorry to say, look-
ing at the present condition of the country, whilst
it had largely increased in wealth and power, it was
more vulnerable to outward attack than it ever had
previously been, and he believed that at this mo-
ment no country in Europe was loss defensive, and
more liable to the conflict of a sudden invasion.
(Hear, hear.) Ile knew it might be said that the
country had already a pail body of armed men;
but that paid body of armed men did not preclude
the possibility of obtaining another body from the
population, that they may be trained to arms,
taught the use of the rifle, and be made use of in
case of need. (Hear, hear.) He remembered the
volunteer movement in 1803-4. At that time it
was proposed by the ministry to introduce a bill
giving Government power to levy en masse; the
object of the measure was in fact to compel every
able-bodied man to take arms, unless the volun-
teers came forward in sufficient numbers to obviate
that necessity. The bill gave a right to the Crown
to call upon the subject in time of threatened inva-
sion. In former times all the people were trained
to arms, archery for instance, as a matter of legal
compulsion; hence the superiority of the English
archers, and the how became a powerful weapon
whether employed in foreign or domestic warfare.
He should be sorry to see any necessity for com-
pulsion. At the time he alluded to the great poli-
tical leaders of that day, Mr. Pitt and Mr. Fox,
though the leaders of opposite parties, both ex-,
pressed their opinions in nearly the same language,
and he had been very much struck with the applica-
tion of what Mr. Fox said to the present time. He
said he gave his hearty concurrence to the measure ;
he could not oppose a measure which the state of
the war made necessary. He could conscientiously
support the measure because it was for the defence
of the country more than for any object of offensive
war. He relied principally upon the armed mass
of the people to resist invasion. As to any regular
force he wished it to be as great a good as possible ;
yet he could no more think of placing his entire
dependence upon the regular forces than on our
navy; both might be excellent, yet subject to
events; whereas the mass of a treat people in-
structed in the use of arms was a safe and perma-
nent security, that did not depend on the event of
one battle, nor would by any untoward circumstances
be rendered inefficacious. Mr. Fox went on
to exprcse a hope that an armament of this
nature might be obtained voluntarily, and
without any compulsive measures ; but he
' should say notwithstanding that, if necessary,
compulsion should be resorted to. Now lie (Lord
Wensleydale) would say that these circumstances
applied to the present time. Certainly, at that
time of which he had been speaking there was im-
mediate danger, for war had been declared; but
still the necessity of having a body of men accus-
tomed to arms and well disciplined existed ; be-
cause, although they could count upon the assist-
ance of the brave and intelligent men of England,
yet that would be no defence in case of an invasion,
for however brave, without discipline, such a force
might prove prejudicial instead of being advan-
tageous. (Hear, hear.) If, however, they be
taught the use of arms, and that be accomplished
with the least possible burden and inconvenience to
themselves, they would become such a security to
the country as to render invasion by any foreign
power almost impossible. He trusted that now the
nation had been aroused to a proper sense of its
position, they would soon have the satisfaction of
seeing a greatly extended body of disciplined men,
and that the people had resolved to follow the
example set them at the commencement of the pre-
sent century. (Applause.) As to himself, he could
not now be of any use for active service. At the
time to which his remarks had been directed, he
served his country in the capacity of a volunteer,
but his pursuits had been in more peaceable courses
in later years. When active efforts were made be-
fore for the defence of the country, a force of 356,743
men was raised, consisting of the militia, yeomanry,
and volunteers, as well as a coast guard of 25,000.
His own was an additional corps to these of three
or four hundred more, and the right-hand man of
the company was the present Prime Minister. He
was an excellent officer, and early gave proofs of
those talents as a commander which have since se-
cured for him the approbation of his country.
(Hear, hear.) He thought at the present time they
ought to have a much larger force, inasmuch as the
population was only about half then to what it
was now ; then the population of England and
Scotland comprised about 10 millions, now it was
about 21 millions. The population of Ireland had
not increased in the same manner, but speaking in
round numbers the population of the United King-
dom in 1859 more than doubled that of 1803.
When application shall be made for additional
powers with respect to the enrolment of volunteers,
as soon as the present Parliament shall have as-
sembled, he could not conceive a more powerful
mode of obtaining whatever might be deemed ne-
cessary, than the patriotism which the people ma-
nifested throughout the country. (Applause.) His
lordship concluded by moving the first resolution,
to the effect :—" That.this meeting consider it most
desirable to promote a volunteer rifle corps in the
county of Bedford, under the provisions of an act