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THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

portance is likely to sustain. This question concerned
the right of territory in that dismal and inhospitable dis-
trict of country, lying between the Rocky Mountains and
the Pacific Ocean, called the Oregon. Both England and
America claimed a right of settlement and sovereignty in
the Oregon, and successive negotiations seemed to have
no other result than that of demonstrating the hopeless-
ness of arriving at a point of common agreement. The
great error on our part was committed in 1818, when the
British plenipotentiaries (Mr. Robinson and Mr. Goul-
burn), for the sake of a temporary evasion of the difficul-
ties, agreed to throw the country open to both claimants
for ten years—leaving the question of boundary for future
settlement. But what could be settled at the end of ten
years, could have been more easily settled then, before
the question had become embarrassed by new liens esta-
blished in the interval by emigrants on both sides. It is
impossible to comprehend th policy of postponing the set-
tlement until the difficulties shall have become increased
by the acquisition of local possessions, of which one or the
other, or both, to some extent, must be deprived in the
long inn ; adding a practical grievance to be adjusted in
addition to the general right. Thus perplexed, the ques-
tion of the Oregon descended to Mr. Canning. Mr.
Rush, who had instructions to re-open this discussion,
waited upon Mr. Canning, and found him ill in bed with
the gout. But they nevertheless proceeded to the inves-
tigation of the claim. The map of America was spread
out upon the bed, and Mr. Rush traced the boundary de-
manded by America, which ran along the 51° of latitude.
Mr. Canning expressed his surprise at the extent of the
American claim ; and when the nepotiations were again
renewed, the American minister reduced his demand to
the 49' ; to which Mr. Canning refused to accede. Fur-
ther attempts were made to bring about a pacific settle-
ment of this disputed boundary; and Mr. Canning, frotn
an anxious desire to avoid hostilities, proposed a middle
course, which was rejected by America. Mr. Canning
never omitted an opportunity in public or private of testi-
fying his amicable disposition towards the United States.
The weight of his influence tended materially to restrain
the temper of the English people, which was such,
throughout these and other similarly hopeless negotia-
tions, that Lord Castlereagh told Mr. Rush that war
could be produced by holding up a finger. Having failed
in obtaining our acquiescence in her demand up to the 49°
of north latitude, America has lately set up a claim to the
whole country. She claims upon two grounds :—One by
right of discovery, the other by right of treaty with Spain.
Her claim by right of discovery, dates in 1792 ;—her claim
by right of treaty, dates in 1819, when Spain made over
all her own possessions in that unmapped country to the
United States. Without descending into details, it is
clear that these two rights cannot co-exist. America can-
not claim through Spain in 1819, that which, she says, she
acquired by right of discovery in 1792. Spain could not
confer upon America, that which America herself already
possessed. There is another reason why Spain could not
bestow Oregon upon America—namely, that it did not
belong to her. " Such a union of titles," says Mr. Rush,
" imparting validity [perhaps he means in-validity] to
each other, does not often exist,"—an observation which
might be safely carried a little further, by saying that such
an union never existed before.

* Chapman and Hall's Monthly Series. The Life of George
Canning, by Robert Bell. London: Chapman and Hall, Its 6,
Strand.—This Memoir, which is ❑ow completed, we have quoted
from so largely that it will not be necessary for us to remark
upon it at length. We may, however, suggest to the publisher
that it would be well for contributors to a series of works de-
signed for all classes of readers, and especially for memoir
writers, to intrude less on the public their political !canines. The
present memoir is well written, but it has the fault we have
suggested.

THE LATE VICTORIES IN INDIA.-HEROISM

OF THE COMMANDERS

(From the Earl of Ripon's and Sir Robert Peel's
Speechev, on Friday.)

PERSEVERING INTREPIDITY OF SIR HENRY HARDINGE

The commander-in-chief mentions, among those to
whom he was indebted for assistance on that great day
(the day of the last battle), the name of the Governor-
General; and, my lords, I know not whether it is gene-
rally known, but I am sure it was not known when the
first dispatch was published, that that gallant officer had,
ten days before, met with a very severe accident—a fall
from his horse—which for some days incapacitated him
from attending at head-quarters. So eager was be to do
everything in his power in order to facilitate the comman-
der-in-chief in the execution of his plans, that, one night,
something having occurred to him which he thought it
necessary he should communicate to the commander-in-
chief, he set off, without delay, in the middle of the night,
and rode to the commander-in•chief's head-quarters, and
it was on his return from thence that this accident hap.
pened. At the time of tbis battle, although his energies
were never broken down, his body was comparatively
weak ; and they who know what fighting is, and what the
feelings of a general must be upon such occasions, will, I
think, understand what must have been the feelings of
Sir Henry Hardinge when he was obliged to go down to
battle in a carriage. In a carriage, however, he went ;
but when he was there, his carriage was not used. He
mounted his horse how? He was lifted upon it, for he
could not mount it himself; and there, most probably
under bodily suffering of an acute kind, be was ready to
assist and to take his share, if he was called en so to do,
in rendering those services which have been so nobly and
honourably attested by the language of the commander-
in-chief. The moment the battle was over, he immedi-
ately proceeded to superintend the other part of the plan.

devoted a body of men. Never, in the page of military
history, has the hand of an All-wise Being been so signally
manifested. To Him, therefore, be the glory—we, as his
instruments, feel the pride. But I cannot pass over—l
cannot too strongly record—facts which, whilst they add
lustre to the native army, afford to me, as its head, inex-
pressible pride and pleasure. For upwards of a month,
when the two armies were close in front of one another.
notwitbstAnding the numerous temptations held out to
our sepoys by men of their own colour and religion,
namely, greatly increased pay, from seven to twelve ru-
pees a month, and immediate promotion, I had but three
deserters from this large force. Nor should I omit to
mention, as a proof of the high state of discipline of this
splendid army, that trade has been carried on unreser-
vedly since we crossed the Sutlej in the several Sikh
towns around which our divisions have been necessarily
placed for the procufance of water, and the same confi-
dence has been shown as though we were in one of our
long-established provinces."
HUMBLE AND PIOUS COURAGE.—In the House of
Commons on Friday, during the debate on the victories
in India, Sir R. H. Inglis called the attention of the
house "to the despatch of Sir Hugh Gough himself—a des-
patch which would bear comparison with any despatch in
any age of the military history of this country, and which
revived in some of its expressions the remembrance of
some of the greatest heroes who had ever fought and con-
quered, and who had always attributed success to Him to
whom alone it was owing. What were the words in which
the Duke of Marlborough announced the battle of Blen-
heim ? " God has blessed her Majesty's arms with as
great a victory as has ever been known." What was the
language used by Lord Nelson after the battle of the Nile?
" Almighty God has blessed his Majesty's arms in the
late battle by a great victory over the fleet of the enemy,
whom I attacked at sunset on the Ist of. August, off the
mouth of the Nile." What were the expressions used by
Lord Collingwood after the still greater battle of Trafal-
gar ? " The Almighty God, whose arm is strength, hav-
ing of his great mercy been pleased to crown the exertions
of his Majesty's fleet with success, in giving them a com-
plete victory over their enemies, on the 21st of this month ;
and that all praise and thanksgiving may be offered up to
the Throne of Grace for the great benefit to the country
and to mankind. I have thought proper that a day should
be appointed of general humiliation before God, and of
thanksgiving for this his merciful goodness, imploring for-
giveness of sins, a continuation of his Divine mercy, and
his constant aid to us in the defence of our country's li-
berties and laws, without which the utmost efforts of man
are nought." In the same spirit as the Duke of Marlbo-
rough, Lord Nelson, and Lord Collingwood, did Sir Hugh
Gough, in words which ought to be engraven on all their
hearts, so thank the Almighty God, to whose arm alone he
attributed all our success. He (Sir R. Inglis) said that
those men were worthy of being the countrymen of Marl-
borough, of Nelson, and of Collingwood, who, in the mo-
ment of victory could make that acknowledgment."