The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1838-12-11

T Ind ho5ped that the respect for tho laws and
regard for the peace and honor Of their own coun
Try which has ever characterised the clnzehs OF
the United States, would have prevented any por'
| ton of them from using any means to promote m
surrecton in the territory OF power with Whici
we are al peace, and with which the United states
are DESTROYS Of maintaining the most riehdly re'a
| TONS regret, deeply however, TO BIO Obliged &c
inform you that this has not been the case lnior,
nation has been & ven to me, derived from oilcia
and other sources, that many citizens OF the Ohlleo
States have associated together 10 mahe nos'io "a
cursons from our territory into Canada, and TO aid
and abet instruction there, in violation OF the CD
legations and laws Of tho United States, ah'in open
disregard of their own duties as citizens rms IN
formation has been IN part conIfmeu' oy iT oSt'I
| invasion actually made 10y cIllZens OF inc onited
| States in conjunction with Canadians and Others
and accom- panied by forclbe seizure OF me prop
erty Of oul citizens, and an application hereol 10 the
prosecution of military operations aSaihs' INC hu'
| thorities and people OF Canada ,. =, -
The results Of these criminal assaults upon the
| peace and order of neigh6orims country nave
heen, as was be expected, fatally destructive 10
the misguided or deluded persons engaged IN theH,
and hiphly injurious 10 those in whose behalf they
are protested to have been undertakeh' ne au-
thorilies in Canada, from intelligence received OF
such intended movements among our ci''%ens' nave
felt themselves obliged to take precautionary meas
ures against them; have actually embodied the
IN ltia and assumed en- attitude to rePei the inVa-
sion to which they believed tho Colonies were
exposed from the United States. A state OF feel
ing on both sides of the frontier has thus been
produced which called for prompt and vigorous
Interference. If an Instruction existed IN canada
the amicable dispositions OF the United states
towards Great Britain, we'll as Their duty to
themselves would lead them to maintain strict
neutrality and to restrain their citizens from all
violations of the laws which have been passed for
It's enforcement. But this Government recognizes
still higher obligation To repress all attempts on
the part of its citizens TO disturb the peace OF a
country where order prevails or has been re .estab-
lshed Depre6ations by our citizens upon nations
at peace with the United States, or combinations
for committing them, have at all Zines been re .
garded by the American Government aud people
with the greatest adherence. Military incurslons
by our citizens into countries SO situated ana the
commission Of acts Of violence on the members
thereof in order to effect change IN It's Govern
ment, or under any preteXt Whatever, nave, from
the commencement of our Government, peeh held
equally criminal the part ol those engaged In
hem and as much deserving of punishment as
would be the disturbance of the public peace DV The
porpetraton Of similar acts within our own terri
tory.
principles ufinternatlona law-prnciples, the strict
observance of which is Indispensable 10 the pre-
servation of social order in the worid-Deen more
earnestly cherished or sacrodiy respected than by
those great and good men who first declared, and
finally established the independence OF our own
country. They promulgated and maintained them
at an early and critical period Of our history they
were subsequcn fly embodied IN legislative enact
ments OF a highly penal character, the faithful
enforcement Of which has hitherto been, ana VIII
trust, always continue 10 be, regarded as duty
inseparaby associated with the maintenance OF our
national honor. That the people OF the United
States should feel interest in the spread OF po-
lltcal institutions free as they regard their own
to be, is naurai can sincere solictude Tor the
success of all those who are, at any time, In good
faith strug Cling for their acquisition, be imputed to
orr citizens as a crime. With the entire freedom
Of opinion and an undisgused expression thereof,
on their part the Government has neither the right
nor | trust, the disposition, to Interfere. But
hath tha int
States require, that they should be made party 10
any struggle, and, by inevitable consequence, to
the war which is waged in its support is question
viii CHI by constitution, is wisely lett 10 Con-
gress alone TO decide. 1t is, by the laws, already
made criminal in citizens 10 embarrass or anti
eipae TN at decision, by unauthorized military OPP
erations on their part. Offences OF tnls character,
in addition to their criminality violations OF the
laws of our country, have direct tendency TO
draw down upon our own citizens at large the mui'
tiplied evils of foreign war, and expose to in]url
Gus imputations the good faith and honor of the
country AS such they deserve to be put down
with promtude and decision. cannot be ms.
taken, am confident, in counting on the cordial
and general concurrence OF our fellow cluZohs IN
this sentiment.
A COPY of the proclamation which have felt it
my duty to issue, is herewith communicated. 1
cannot but hope that the good sense and patriotism,
the regard for the homer and reputation OF their
country the respect for the laws which they have
themselves enacted for their own government, and
the love of order for which the mass of our people
have been so long and SO justly distinguished VIII
deter the comparatively few who are engaged in
Them from the further prosecution of such desperate
enterprises. In the mean time, the existing laws
have BEEN and will continue TO be, faithfully exc
cuted; and every effort will be made to carry them
out in their full extent Whether they are sufficient
or not to meet the actual state OF things on the
| Canadian frontier, it is for Congress to decide
| 1t will appear from the correspondence herewith
submitted, that the Government OF Russia declines
! a renewal of the fourth article of the convention
of April, 1924, between the United States and His
Imperial Majesty, by the third article of which II
is agreed that thereafter there shall not be formed
by the citizens of the United States, or under the
authority of the said States any establishment upon
the northwest coast of America, nor in any Of the
islands adj AGENT to the north of 81 deg 40 mts oil
north latitude; and that in the same manner there
shall be none formed by Russian subjects, or under
the authority of Russia, south of the same paral
el;" and by the fourth article ''that during term
of ten years, countnga from the signature Of the
present convention, the shi ps ct both powers, oil
which belong to their citizens or suhe respec
lively may reciprocally frequent without any him
drance whatever, the interior seas, gufs, harbors
and creeks upon the coast mentioned in the pre-