The Sun.
London, England, 1845-05-14 00:00:00

AMERICAN NEW;.

ARRIVAL OF THE CALEDONIA.

LIVERPOOL, WEDNESDAY MORNING.

The arrival of the Caledonia steamer, Captain Lott,
from Boston and Halifax, has been anxiously looked for,
and, true to her time, she was telegraphed off Holyhead
at half-past three o'clock yesterday, and arrived in the
Mersey at half-past eleven.
We have received by this vessel New York papers to
the 30th ult., being six days later than the intel-
ligence furnished by the Great Western. The great
topics in these papers are the Oregon question, and the
unsettled relations of the United States with Mexico.
As regards the former, the intelligence, on the whole,
is satisfactory. There is a good deal of blustering
in some of the democratic journals, with bitter
allusions to the remarks made in the British
Parliament, and something like defiance against Eng-
land. But the more sober and respectable part of the
press take a different view of the subject, and regard
with satisfaction an amicable settlement of the differences.
One of them publishes a report to which it inclines to
give credit, that the result of the President's delibera-
tions with his Cabinet on the Oregon question was a
determination to follow the example of the British Go-
vernment on the Maine boundary affair, tied send a spe-
cial Minister to London. Even the Minister has been
named—Mr. Van Buren—and we have heard also, in
this connexion, the name of another distinguished leader
in the democratic party.
A correspondent from Washington says :—" There is
great activity in the State Department just now, and
Mr. Buchanan had a long conference with the President
this morning, and he also received dispatches from Mr.
Pakenham." The New York Herald, which professes
to echo the popular cry, is even peaceable, and merely
calls upon the Government to maintain the honour of the
country, which England certainly has no wish to inter-
fere with. We subjoin an extract from that journal of
the 30th of April:—

" It is very evident that Great Britain is in earnest iR her an.
nouncement of uncompromising hostility to our claims to the
Oregon territory. She assures us that she is prepared to maintain
her pretensions at every hazard. She is certainly at this moment
in a very excellent condition for enforcing her claims and carry-
ing her threats into execution. She has settled her difficulties in
the East. She has satisfactorily arranged the Chinese affair. She
has at present no particular business in the way of war on hand.
Her financial condition is prosperous in the highest degree. She
was never, in fact, more powerful, more unembarasscd, more able
to effect her purposes than now. It is surely, then, incumbent on
our Government to make some preparation for meeting this for-
midable enemy. The whole country should be put into a state of
defence at once. The President should immediately summon an
extra session of Congress. The navy and army should be increased.
The militia should be re-organized, and put in such a condition
as to present a :more reliable means of support than an armed
mob. The defence of the country should be made win thy of the
name. All the recent improvements in naval warfare should be
introduced. A steam navy should be erected at once, which could
be used in connexion with commerce, and be always in readiness
for actual service. Communication between the great cities along
the coast and in the interior should be established by means of the
magnetic telegraph. This is the way to negotiate. We do not
wish a war. We deprecate war. It would be a great calamity.
But we do not wish to see the country humiliated. We desire to
see the country in a proper posture of defence, fully prepared with
the means of negotiating with honour and success."

The Washington Globe, which, though not the official
paper, is understood to express with more authenticity
than any other the views of the administration, thus con-
cludes an article headed " War with England:"—

" Nothing was ever more true than the sentiment expressed by
Mr. Polk, in his inaugural address —' that every extension of our
empire gave an additional security of peace to the world.'
"Yet have we been forced at times, and that too under the
mildest of our rulers, from this, the settled policy of our Govern.
ment ; and it is our solemn conviction that we shall soon again be
called on to take up arms against our former and only adversary.
It is perfectly manifest that they regard this as a favourable mo-
ment to renew the system of aggression upon us which has re.
suited in war heretofore ; which to submit to is only to invite new
wrongs—wrongs premeditated, not for the advantage which ac-
crues to them, but arranged and settled upon merely as the means
of bringing on the conflict of arms, or the entire abandonment of
our rights as a nation. The only mode to avoid this is, the firm
adherence by the President to the letter and spirit of his inaugural
address. He will be sustained by the nation in that; for, not-
withstanding the English Ministers choose to level their lances at
Mr. Polk, it is not to be forgotten that the previous action of the
House of representatives had, by an immense majority, given their
sanction to his language. By the truckling abandonment of our
rights by Mr. Webster in the Ashburton treaty, we lost the subject
of controversy, forfeited the respect of the world and of ourselves,
and invited new and unfounded pretensions from our adversary.
" This, so far as it goes, certainly indicates a disposition on the
part of the dominant party to insist upon our whole claim to
Oregon, even at the hazard of war. We do not believe any such
action will be sustained by the people. The question is pre-emi-
nently one for arbitration. If our claim is not just we ought not
to insist upon it. Great Britain has heretofore offered to submit

it to such arbitration under the most liberal conditions. This
proffer of peace was rejected—with more emphasis than dignity—
by our Government. Should it be renewed, we have no hesitation
in saying that it should be at once accepted. We shall run no
risk of losing anything to which we have a right ; and when rights
are conflicting, mutual concessions—concessions which a neutral
party would deem just—should reconcile them.
" If we should be plunged, by madness or folly, into war with
England or with the world, we should do alt in our power to in.
sure its vigorous prosecution and successful issue ; but we trust
the country will not become engaged in such a contest, without
having exhausted all honourable efforts for the preservation of
peace."

The following is the money article in the New York
Courier and Enquirer :

" We continue in an agitated state in respect of our foreign
relations; not that any one thinks war is at hand, but that many
fear through the complication of difficulties that war may at last
come. We do not deem such a result possible with common pru-
dence on the part of this nation, and yet the bare apprehension of
it causes doubts and hesitation both to thecstocks and money market.
" At this season there Is generally great activity in home busi-
ness, and such is the case just now, for produce does not feel the
effect of the warlike rumours and apprehensions. Indeed, thus
far the whole effect is confined to operators in stocks, which rise
and fall as rumours more or less angry, or more or less probable,
prevail.
" The foreign business of the year was expected to fall short
of that of last year, and especially the importations ; and the
estimates by the Treasury of receipts from the Customs for
the current year were at a considerably lower figure than
'' • "

those of the past year. The result will turn out as foreseen. Thus
far the duties received at this port, as compared with those for
the same time last year, have fallen off more than a million and a
half of dollars, as may be seen by the annexed statement :
Receipts from Jan. 1 to April 27, 1844 ... $7,136,302
Ditto dltte 26, 1845 ... 5,549,207

Decrease in 1845 .........
" The same relative diminution will be found in the Custom
House receipts at other ports.
" in cotton there has been considerable activity, at full prices.
" The state of the exchanges remains unchanged. Sterling is
steady at 9* to 9i, and France at sf. 25c. to 26f.
" Money is in good demand. The banks make their quarterly
statement on the Ist of May, and in order to make a good appear-
ance, prepare in advance by calling in loans and accumulating
specie which, the statement once made, they again release.
" The line of discounts generally is pretty well up, and that of
specie remains without material variation. There are always very
heavy payments falling due in May, which, however, the banks
will facilitate by extending their discounts, and, if no unforeseen
events occur, we see no reason to suppose that money will be scarce
or high for months to come.

" The operations of the Stock Exchange this morning were un•
usually limited.

" GOVERNMENT SECURITIES.

" Tuesday, April 29.
Offered. Asked.
United States Loan, 6 per cent. transferable

1862
Ditto 6 ditto coupon 1862 ll2l 113
Ditto 5 ditto coupon 1853 lO3 1031
Ditto 6 ditto transfer., 1853 104 1041

The intelligence from Vera Cruz is to the 12th ult.
The New Orleans Picayune of the 20th, says Mexico has
not declared war against the United States ; but the
official paper, El Diario del Goberno, of the 3d instant.,
announces that it is in possession of certain movements
on the part of the Government of a warlike character,
which it is constrained to withhold from the public, as
secrecy is the soul of military operations ; but that journal
adds, that it trusts that the speedy and successful issue
of these operations will soon relieve the public curiosity
in regard to them. The papers of the capital and of
Vera Cruz are occupied almost exclusively with the sub-
ject of annexation. There are not wanting those who
insist that there is no alternative left to Mexico, to pre-
serve untarnished her honour, but war.
The Siglo of the 4th inst., contains a letter from Mr.
Shannon to the Mexican Minister of Foreign Relations
in reply to the official note of Senor Cuevas, announcing
the termination of official relations between the two
countries. This note, and a circular addressed by the
Mexican Cabinet to the Ministers of France, Spain, and
England, we laid before our readers in our Thursday's
edition. We will now give Mr. Shannon's reply—
which has undergone two translations, first into Spanish
and now again into English—and also a rejoinder from
Senor Cuevas. It appears to us that Mr. Shannon is
not pursuing a dignified course in pressing a correspon-
dence upon the Mexican Government after the publica-
tion of the documents, of which the following are the
sequel:—

United States Legation,.March 31st, 1845.
The undersigned, Envoy Extraordinary,: &c., of the United
States, has the honour of acknowledging the receipt of his Ex-
cellency's, Senor Cuevas', Minister of Foreign Relations, &c., note
of the 28th of March, announcing that the Congress of the
United States has sanctioned the annexation of Texas to its terri-
tory ; that the Mexican Minister at Washington had terminated
his official relations and protested against the said act of the
Congress and Government of the United States, and that diplo-
matic relations between the two countries should not be continued.
The liberal and honourable sentiments entertained by the actual
Government of Mexico, had induced the undersigned to hope that
the differences which exist between the two Governments could be
arranged amicably upon terms just and honourable to both. It
would appear, however, from the note of his Excellency Senor
Cuevas, that Mexico declines to adjust these differences in this
manner, and thus preserve the peace of the two countries.
The undersigned can assure his Excellency Senor Cuevas, that
his (Mr. Shannon's) Government entertains the liveliest desire to
cultivate amicable relations with that of Mexico; and here he
will improve this opportunity to repeat that which he has before
communicated to the Government of Mexico—to wit, that the
United States has not adopted the measure of annexation in any
spirit of hostility towards Mexico, and that the United States are
anxious to settle all questions which may grow out of this mea-
sure, including that of boundaries, in terms the most just and
liberal.

Having offered the olive branch of peac7, and manifested a sin_
cere desire to arrange these questions amicably and upon principles
just and honourable to both Governments, the United States have
done whatever is in their power to preserve the friendly relations