Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1817-12-09
RIcHMoND. DECEWBER Q.
THE MESSAGE.
No. LII.

II lie HIST ApscJtC SubIeCt, WHICH hitStS
las in the Message, is cur Foreign Rslaii-
|ons--The first o! these, on the docket,
are our relations with Great Britain.
The DAYS are past, when The Message
| of the President, teemed with tue injuries
of Great Rritain-wllen impressed sea-
men. and violated rights, narrowed up
the feelings oftlie American citizen. These
have passed away With the storm Of war;
and now, ali is calm, and friendship, and
peace. --'Yhe President informs us of the
arrangement made with Great Britain, for
reducing ctr respective navies OH the
northern a.>es.---IlIis Is a wise and paci-
| tic arrangement. 1t saves an useless
expence :" and those heart burnings which
would arise from the danger OF colliSi-
on between armed vessels III those IN
! land waters -lfwe are wise, we will how
ever take care OF the ceSSeiS that have been
-mautled-build aasy-ydrds on each of
the iakes--and form dep0ts of timber, am
munition, aud arms. The British will do
the same; and in the event of war, will
strain every nerve 10 sway The sceptre of
the lakes. We have seen how essential
is the mastery Oh This element to the o.
peration OF our armies-in fact, that with
out the Lakes Canada can never be
ours.
The information is as new as ii is pleas
ing TO us, that the commissioners under
the 4tli artl9le o! the treaty ofG hent, have
restored maters III the \. +. 10 the Statu
quo ante Js{ii'a. "They have agre d in a
report, BY which all the Islands (in The
Bay OF Passamaquoddy)in the possession
OF each party before the late war, have
been decreed 10 H." OF course, we come
into possession of those which were left
.,,f l,.. L.. ~ IL. al,
sion Of the late war; and the right to them
Is forever secured 10 us. We hail this ar
Tangemeni as The mark of an anicable
spirit onilie part ofG Great Britain What,
TOO, becomes of the Sneers of theenemies
of the war! that 1t had cost us The islands
OF Passamaquoddy, and that we had gain
ed nothing which could compensate that
loss Even these rep.oaches have VAN
ished; for the islands are not onl rest9r-
again the occupancy, but we have the
,7ght to them recognized by the only par
" who has ever disputed II. SO far, then,
ed, but are secpredtous; we have not only
we have gained by the event of the war
In settling, IT not adouhtluI, al least dis
puted title. which grew out of the treaty
1888.
We are told that the other questions,
under the treaty of Client, have not been
adjusted that The Commiss oners, en-
gagged in setting The norihorn boundaries.
have not completed them: and that the
" right TO Lakeland cure fish on the coast
OF the British provinces, is still in nego-
claiion." No information is given of tie
course oft; no pTesenliment, is express
ed of lis result. OF one thing We are as
sured, that our government will do its
duiY-tllat, whatever be the right of the
United States, not one lola of II will be
given up. We have gained too mnch
character by the late war; we are gaining
too much strength every dav, TO permit
any administration 10 sacrifice one atom
of our ndtiona! rights.
We learn the 5ate ofone proposition with
some regret, but without any disappoint-
menf. We should inierfrom the passage
that this proposition has again been mace
and again been rejected. Mir Madison,
inhis message last Congress, informs
them Gifts being aSrertaiued . that the Bri-
tIsh government declines att negotiation ON
this subject; with a disavowal, however,
OF any disposition TO view in an unlriend-
ly light whatever countervaiiing regulate
on9 the u. States may oppose To tie re-
gulatIons OF which they complaint" Mir
Monroe now informs us, that z" The pTopO-
Sltlon made by this government 10 cxtend
TO the colonies OF Great Britain tie prIn-
clple OF the convention OF Lon on by
which the commerce between the ports of
the u. States and British ports in Europe
had been placed on footing Of equality,
has been declined by the British govern
ment." MIR. Madison staied, that the
British government bad declined att ne
gotlalion Mr.. Monroe, that the sub
ject haa been amicably discussed" from
which SIC infer that it has been renewed
since the date of Mr.. Madison's commu-
nication. These repeated reflections give
proofs OF the d. cided policy OF the British
cabinet, and call upon us TO take our
course. Tie question waS before the I4th
Congress in two different slIdpeS-the first
IN the form of Il resolution of Mr.. King of
Massachusetts, on the 9th of February,
1876" That the committee OH foreign
relations be instructed 10 enquire into the
expediency of excluding from the ports
OF tlIe u. States ali foreign vessels, owed
III, coming from, bound to, or touching
at. any OF lis Britannia MaJesty's posses
SONS III the West Indies, and In the CONT
nent of North america, from which the
vessels of the y. ). are excluded: Aud Of
prohibiting, or increasing tie duties ON,
The Importation III foreign vessels, of any
articles, the growth, produce or manuiac-
ture of such possessions" This resoluii-
on was much discussed, and finally quito
sleep OF the iabie.-Ou the 9Th Of jan.
1917, bin was Introduced in the If. Of Il.
" To prohibit ali Commercial Intercourse
with ports or places, into or with which
the vessels of ihe q. S. are not ordinarily
permitted To- enter or trade This I'M
porIantbill was also much discussed but
was again put 10 sleep or the table. Let
any man read the commercial speecho Of
Gen. Smith or his measure, and he wIl
be struck with the doubts and difficulties
Which encompass it.-in pointof iaci, lie
British now enjoy The benefits oflhe Con-