Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1829-01-03
DOMESTIC.
THE BOUNDARY.

/ tfugnes, at present Shargc NeS htliiT es dt uhe
Court Of the Netherlands, has been nominate. as
full minister 10 that court. Our last minister there
was DIR. Eustis Alter his return our govern
ment determined TO keep at that court only rep
tresentative of the second grade. The reason as
signed now for the appointment Of minister OF
the highest grade is the Importance oil The boun-
dairy question, which is submitted TO the umpirage
| OF the monarch of the Netherlands. 1t is also
stated that this appointment ~ii! supersede the ser
vices Of the agents a, present employed in this
business after they have made up the case and the
further prosecution of it. before the umpire will
be eDtrustedt to Mr.. Hughes. This is the state
ment which we find in the administration papers
and we have reason 10 believe il is correct.
Such being the facts, think il is time Tor the
voice of this State to be heard. Whether 1t is lis
tened 10 and regarded, treated with contempt
and derision, owe il TO ourselves to speak out
The privilege OF complaint is one OF which we can-
not be dcbarred, and we have remained silent and
almost passive quite too long.
| We have thought il just ground OF complaint
that thi- question has been submitted to the UNI
4 pirage of any court Our right stands so clear on
The treaty Of 1888, that it cannot with any proprie-
ty be made a question OF controversy. Until the
line running due north strikes the head lands be-
tween the sources Of the rivers discharging them
sc Ives into the Atlantic and those flowing into the
ST. Lawrence, the language OF the treaty Is 80
plain and positive that admits oil no construction
In every instrument the plain meaning OF the
words is to be followed where they are not involv-
cd in any doubt obscurity. Such is the case
with the treaty Of 1888. The only possible con.
| 1
tract in the extreme of the angle, from which the
northern streams fall partly in the river St Law
renee and partly into the Bay of Chaleur Should
we admit the right Of the United States 10 sub
init this TO an umpire 1T would not follow that they
could rightfrIly thus submit claim that did not
fairly admit of doubt. If il is to be asked what is
then to be done when the claim is made by the
British government we will answer this question
by putting another. What should be done il the
British were TO extend their pretensons to the
Penobscot or kennebec? which they might do
| with about much shew Of reason as they have
in support OF their present claim. Indeed we hap
pen TO know II as fact that many persons i'll New
| Brunswick do contend that the true boundary OF
that Province lies certainly far west as the Pc
nobscot and most probably as far as the kennebec.
! We presume there can he no doubt what answer
ought to be given TO such claim 1t must I'M
questionably be that on such pretexts shall not
negotiate. We shall not admit that it is question
OF doubt, and if persevered in it must be decided
not by argument, that does not apply TO such a
case, but by the last umpire that is invoked for the
decision Of controversies between nations.
Such is thu view which is taken Of on: by
the people OF this State. Whatever authority the
U. States may have from the necessity OF the case,
to settle by negotiation or by reference to
pre question Of doubtful right, they have pre-
tence OF an authority thus TO refer for decision
question a right which is not doubtful. in such
case there is but plain to pursue. The
duty oil the u. y is to protect us in the integrity
OF our territory, and il an appeal 10 arms is ne
cessary for this purpose that appeal they are bound
ed into the national compact, yislded right and
our faculty OF defending ourselves from foreign
aggression, we have placed in the control cf
the national councils the whole military means of
the State, we have abandoned to t,eH, the NEST
productive sources Of revenue, we have debarr ed
ourselves from the right and transferred il TO them
OF maintaining armies and naves, and with il tire
| RICH; OF drawing from our pockets the means OF
| supporting them, and in consideration of this the
| u. States have voluntarily bound themselves TO
defend us from foreign violence and enoroachment,
| and maintain rights when necessary by the
! sword. While perform our part of the COM
| pact, they cannot release themselves from it's o.
| litigation. This is the plhin and common sense
state of the question, and all the subtleness OF log
&c and fnesse OF diplomacy cannot place il OIL diff
| ferent ground.
! We have protested against this submission az an
| injury, but tho we felt ourselves eggripvcd and
wronged, have submitted because we have
not seen, if the U. S. persist in exercising the
power, any peaceful and constitutional remedy for
the wrong. But wronged we still feel ourselves
to be: In the cup of bitterness, how ever, there
have been mingled some ingredients Of charsc-
| ter less offensive, far a term of qualified
dislike can be applied to such a composition of ma
terials in the whole. in the appointment of the
agents to manage our case, this State was gratif
ed. III the selection bad been referred to us, we
have no doubt that the very persons who ap.
pointed would have been selected by the almost
unanimous voice of the State. In the general
biiity, the acuteness OF understanding, the perse
vering diligence and fdelity, in the familiarity
| such case, Of MIR. Galatin and Judge Preble, |
we feel the most implicit confidence. When we |
saw selected for this trust OF the first and
blest in legal science in this State and one Of
the most profound experienced and accomplished |
statesmen of any country, felt nearly certain
that no umpire, with and such advocates
could decide against We thought that at last
the United States government had become awals-
ened 10 the importance of the question:; nor did
we dream that the case might be taken from
their hands and entrusted 10 the mana cement oil
others, before il was brought 20 finJl conclusion
| The information, which is now confirmed ~ %.
MIR. Hughes is nominated minister plenipotentia-
| ry to take the management OF this question be-
fore the umpire, is OF nature 10 create the most
serious alarm. We know nothing OF the quaIii-
cations OF Mr. Hughes for such trust, and this
IL surely for us, who principally interested i'm
| the qaestiOn, sufficient Tor orr Directing
to him. The claim goes for territory OF about
| 10000 square miles. more than six millions Of A.
cTes. greet part of this is not BfefiDr in feriili
ty OF soil 10 any lands in America east oithe ilud
| son, no. excepting the valley Of the Connecticut,
the provcrbial garden of New England. This
land, with the valuable lumber upon IL, at a mod
crate estimate, is worth 1 an acre. The pecuni.
airy value then, independent Of The Jurisdiction 4
right of sovereignty, il no small matter even in
national point OF view. The territory will form
bout $50 townships Of six miles square. and such
is the progress Of population, that in Is or
| twenty years IL may safely be calculated, will
con tain population of fem 100 TO zoe, 900 souls
I We would ask il this H. an interest which the cab
met is justified in making the subject Of political
| sportl
! whatever may be the talents of Mr. Hughes, it
is notorious.thN neither he any other can
acquire a cornpeien, knowledge Of the subject,
.a 4