The Sun.
London, England, 1845-03-29 00:00:00

ørnkiw
2/111t.

LONDON, SATURDAY, MARCH 29, 1845.

The inaugaral address of the new President of the
United States contains some passages that should not
be allowed to pass unnoticed at the period of their
first promulgation to the British Public. In the
rapid notice we have already taken of this document,
such passages have been, perhaps, too lightly touched
upon, not to make it desirable to subject them to a
more particular notice, before dismissing the paper
from our view. It is but too probable that the " Ad-
dress," however humble its pretensions as a State
Paper, tried by our European standard of political
criticism, may hereafter be found to possess an ad-
ventitious value and notoriety, from its shadowing
forth of events that are in rapid progress to develnp-
ment, to which its intrinsic merits would never en-
title it.

" I cannot," says Mr. POLK, " disguise the diffi-
dence with which I am about to enter on the dis-
charge of my official duties." This mealy mouthedness
is really pretty well for the head magistrate of a
Republican Government, who proceeds to announce
such schemes of territorial spoliation, and to become
the apologist of such wholesale aggressive encroach.
ments on the rights of independent States, as
have probably never been publicly preached
since the days in which SAPOR or GENGHIS KHAN
used to exhibit the ferocious courtesy of dispatching
heralds to the remote monarchs whose dominions it
had occurred to the mighty conqueror (after the
fashion in which similar projects suggest themselves
to JAMES K. Por.K) that it would be highly expedient
to unite to his own—on what day of what month and
year, and in what city of the world, they would do
well to be prepared to surrender their sceptres and
their lives into the hands of the all-conquering King
of the Kings of the Universe. This diffident gentle-
man, accordingly, begins with a measure for taking
from Mexico, against her consent, a portion of her
dominions, about as large as Great Britain, and an-
nexing it, contrary to the protests of its own de facto
Government, recognised by " J. K. P." himself as an
"independent one," to the overgrown dominions of the
Union. He proceeds, in a parenthesis, to assume for
granted—in defiance of history and fact, prior right of
discovery, and stipulations of treaties—and with about
as little recognition of the purposes and objects of the
British Minister, Mr. PAKENnAm's mission on the
subject, as his predecessor had shown of the reclama-
tions and protests of the Mexican Minister against the
fraudulent attempt upon Texas—to assume forgranted
the title of the United States " to the country of the
Oregon," as " clear and unquestionable." Such an
impudent perversion of facts could never have entered
the mind of a State officer who had not, from the
habit of dealing with, for, and in slaves, acquired
the bad habit of supposing it unnecessary to consider
what amount of qualifying truth ought to be infused
into any statements he might vouchsafe to make. As
to the annexation of Texas, it had been clearly shown,
as we remarked in a former article, by the best
authorities in the American Councils, that the project
was contrary to the federal Constitution positive in-
fringement of express and declaratory articles in that
instrument. Mr. PoLx, who is of that faction among
his countrymen who are for " going the whole hog,''
throws that ugly recollection overboard, and sets up
a false colour in its steal. " It will be his first
care," he observes, " to administer the Government
in the true spirit of that instrument, and to assume
no power not expressly granted or clearly implied in
its terms." This was already done to his hands by
that very honest person, Mr. JOHN TYLER ; and he
adopts and gives operation to TYLER'S act. We pass
over the large demands he makes upon the good na-
ture or simplicity of mankind, for all credit to the
manifold practical as well as theoretical excellences of
the form of government enjoyed by the subjects of
the Union. These paper virtues have been fur some
time past at a considerable discount in all other parts
of the world, like the Pennsylvanian bonds ; and we ,

see no likelihood of J. K. Polaes patting them on
any better footing, as to foreign circulation, than
had been effected by J. TYLER. "In some sections
of our country," says Mr. Polac, " it is a source to
me of deep regret to observe that misguided persons
have occasionally indulged in schemes and agitations
whose object is the destruction of domestic institutions
existing in other sections—institutions which existed
at the adoption of the constitution." Would any
honest man believe that this stout Republican, who
freely invokes the blessing of GOD upon his admi-
nistration, and talks glibly of the mercy of PROVI-
DENCE, was in these set phrases disguising so
atrocious a practice as negro slaveiy; and excusing,
in this boasted ark of human liberty, forsooth, the
damning pollution of wholesale, natural slave-trading?
Why, we shall look to the next overland mail for a me-

morial to the Governor-General of India from the per-
secuted " Thugs" of Mysore or Rajhpootana, pray-
ing that their highly respectable "institutions " may
not be put down, in compliance with the wishes of
other " sections" of the Penersales. But this hypo-,
crisy is of a piece with the colouring at-
tempted to be given to the Texas affair. " The
Republic of Texas has made known her desire
to come into our Union —to form a part
of our confederacy, &c. Fortunately for the truth,

President TYLER had " made known " the " desire

of our confederacy " to filch and kidnap Texas from
Mexico at any hazard ; and it will require a better

casuist than J. K. POLK to show that it was not the
United States' Government which took the initiative
in the matter, and resorted to such means for the at-

tainment of its object, as will for ever reflect infamy
on that Government, and, in all probability, at no
distant period, dissolve this perfidy-cemented " Union."
We know that in Washington a man taking office
would sometimes, without scruple, commit himself to
parties who had avowed in the heat of party and elec-
tion contests very extravagant designs, but we never
did expect to find a President prepared to maintain from

his official chair, as courses to Which his•1
_ .....•.• 11.1.••
GovernM-
A

meat would feel itself pledged, the wildest and most
monstrous fallacies that had ever been spouted to
credulous mobs from municipal hustings. Of this
kind, however, was his grave reiteration of the over
and again explcded notorious fallacy that Texas had
ever formed part of the Federal Union. But really
the most impassable medium we have ever heard of is
a new PRESIDENT'S conscience. It is impervious to
any given set of recollections which might inconve-
niently disorganize a preconceived statement shaped
to a particular end. But recollections, on the other
hand, which if they escaped would blow away
the whole effect of such a statement, it smothers
sub ino pectore." The PRESIDENT, talking compla-
cently of the enterprise which American citizens
have shown, under the auspices of their free Go-
vernment, in exploring the wild countries about
the banks (,f the Mississippi and the Missouri, says,
" The titles of numerous Indian tribes to vast tracts
of country have been extinguished." Why did he
pause at that point, and forbear to touch upon the
" tribes of Indians," as well as their "titles," ex-
tinguished by the exterminating operations of the
force employed by the United States ?
But enough of this sorry composition, in that
character. The inferences it suggests are of a nat ore
so grave, that we cannot trust ourselves to follow
them out to the point they seem to tend to, lest we
should seem to desire rather to insist upon than
to mitigate the mischievous construction which pro-
jects thus crudely enunciated are necessarily lh.ble
to. If the political morality upon which it is
sought to justify the annexation of Texas, were
to be acquiesced in by this country, we cannot see
how we could dispute its application to Mexico.
Does the PRESIDENT imagine that the United
States will he permitted to absorb into their Federa-
tion the Empire of the Aztecks ? If Great Britain
could be induced to tolerate the execution of the de-
signs of the States on the Oregon territory, with what
reason could she resist the incidental passion that the
model republic will assuredly conceive for the pos-
session of Canada ? If the PRESIDENT finds Texas
on the southern boundary with such happy pre-
dispositions to join the Union, wi:l he be at any loss
to discover similar longings equally evident in Ca-
nada on the northern frontier? But be the intended
future march of territorial avarice what it may, it
must be stopped in these first steps of its actual l ro-
gress. We begin greatly to fear that the moral foible
of the natural character of America, her intolerable
passion for buiserous vaunting, must be checked by
something more than a great moral lesson. But how-
ever much we shall deplore the necessity, whenever
that may arrive, we have nothing, thank God, to fear
for the result. It wig be the felicity of Great Bri-
tain to put forth her irresistible, power in the most
disastrous issue that may follow these portentous
indications, in vindicating the triumph of her un-
sullied character and her indefeasible rights, authority,
and possessions.

Madrid journals of the 20th have been received.
The Cortes had adjourned their ssttings for the holi-
days, and the Bourse was closed, and the entire popu-
lation were occupied with the religious ceremonies of
the Holy Week. On Thursday the young QUEEN
washed the feet of twelve poor men, and administered
to them food, with a sum of money to each. The
Court also visited in procession several churches, ac-
companied by persons ef rank, among others the
French Ambassador. The weather, however, was
very unfavourable, as rain or snow fe.l during the
greater part of the day. At the Puerta del Sol the
Three per Cents. were done at 34i for cash, and 35
at 60 days.

The Paris papers are chiefly occupied with the
discussions in the Chamber of Peers on jobbing in
railway shares, and on the Customs' Bill in the
Chamber of Deputies. Great opposition is made to
the Bill brought forward by Count DARU on the
former question, and among others Count D'ARGOUT,
Governor of the Bank of France, and General CA-
BRERES spoke against it. The latter would willingly
support any feasable measure for putting an end to
gambling in shares, but he could not concur in the
present Bill, because it tended to strike a mortal blow
at the industry, commerce, and prosperity of the
country, The Governor of the Bank whose
authority stands very high in France, spoke
in equally strong terms. The Bill, he said,
infringed on the common right of all—
full liberty of transacting business ; for let the
Chamber look at what was done lay any company in
endeavouring to obtain the concession of a railroad,
and judge if there was in the plan pursued any ille-
gality. First of all, some scientific men, bankers,
and capitalists, met, and came to the determination to
form themselves into a Committee on the matter in
hand. There was certainly nothing against the law
in that. Next they announced the provisional for-
mation of the company, and offered shares to the
public in case of success. On these offers of shares
they received money, for which they gave receipts.
All this was perfectly legal, since the money was
given back in case of non-concession. The objection
to this proceeding was, that the acknowledgments for
the money paid in were mere bits of paper, without
value. He must avow that he could not
comprehend this exaggeration, for the re-
ceipts, in place of being bits of paper without
value, were the acknowledgments of sums duly
paid and to be duly repaid in certain circumstances.
After some further remarks, he said on calculation he
found that the sums required to be lodged by com-
panies for the working of railways, would amount to
nut less than 290,000,000 f. (11,000,0001.), the with-
drawal of which from the market would cause great
confusion. Besides the plan would tend to withdraw
the capital of foreigners from railway speculations.
The mere fact of taking the measure into considera-
tion had already induced many foreign capitalists to
sell their shares ; and he would mention, in support
of this assertion, that last month three thousand
shares in a Belgian railroad, deposited at a banker's
at Paris, had been taken in two hours by French
capitalists, and that at a moment when so many
French lines demanded their support. He concluded
by observing that, before deciding on any mea-
sure it would be desirable to have a Committee of
Inquiry appointed to examine into the matter, to
ascertain the gravity of the abuses and the excesses
which had taken place in the last few years, and to
draw up a Bill in accordance with the result of their
examinations. This speech has settled the question.
Count DARU replied to it, but without effect, and
the general belief is, that the Bill will be rejected by
a large majority. The debate on the Customs' Bill
was still going on in the Chamber of Deputies at the
hour of post on Wednesday, but it possessed no
public interest. Nearly all the Opposition jour-
nals make attacks on the Ministry for yield-
ing to the Chamber on the Belgian tariff;
and adduce the fact as another instance of the utter
abasement of M. GUIZOT. Marshal SOULT presented
a Bill for an additional grant of 18,000,000 f. for the
fortifications of Dunkirk, Soissons, Lyons, Besancon,
Sedan, Toulouse, and St. Etienne, and to extraor-
dinary works which are to be executed by military
engineers in the ports of Lorient, Havre, and Henne
bon. On the same day Commissioners were elected
for examining the Railway Bills fur the lines between
Paris and Lyons and Lyons and Avignon, seven uf
whom are favourable to the plans proposed by the
Government.