North American. [volume] (Swanton, Vt.) 1839-1841, 1840-05-06
TORTIrICATIoNs n MAINE.

| impofIa nee.
| This ppiniou of Gen. Scott is very
extraordinary, and a very erroneous one.
| N ia based upon a mlsconeept'on OF tbe
ppsition OF Maine, OF more probably, upon
an inatlention TO it. The British Govern
ment is not so careless. Ii perceives Tie
immense military importance D! Maine, as
separating its upper and lower provinces,
and for that very reason is attempting 10
Obtain a mart of il. Ii commands or IN
ltercepts a great portion, and the main
norton, of the line Of communication from
Halifax 10 Quebec. Hence the bnissh
seized the Eastern section oil the Stale dof-
iag the last war, and will do SO again, 10
the event OF another war, unless some
| Thing is done 10 prevent il. All OF Name
East Of the Penobscot, viii be the seat oi
| British occupancy, or else the seat OF war.
III, win be the FIRST il we abandon IL 10 It's
fate the second If we defend IL, orFatner
make il the base Of offensive operations, as
we ought TO do. lt'aI 's'4 y ht1se y. W
| Ii is said, this war will be whollyiupon
the line of Canada. Why should itnot also
be upon the line Of Nsw-Brunswick u
not upon both, and confined 10 one, II
should certainly be upon the line OF New
Brunswick. The fall Of English power in
| the latter, would facilitate lis overthrow
lin the first. The conquest Of the lower
provinces would be worth more than The
conquest of the upper, provinces, and IS
more practicable because Quebec is nm
pregnabe and Halifax is not 80. II " ...s,
The disputed territory, will not be the
sea. 81 val, II is said. II strue, that the
fact of its being in dispute, will not make
| il any more the scene of military opera
tions, than i. would otherwise be. Bul
inasmuch as il intercepis, the enen,y's CONF "a
munications, he will occupy il, or we must
contest with him. We ought to attackhis
whole line, or il cunfifie ourselves to'a part,
to select those points which are weakest,
and the conquest Of which, would be, oil
the most Importance. In other words, we
should attack New Brunswick, or if the
conquest Of that province. be impossible,
we should strike, at the communications
between that province and Canada" ADORE
Fredericton" ,.,a1 .t. tt.ts x =.
We do not, however, write solely or
principally, to combatathis opinion OF Gen..
Scott, which lis mot at all in accordance
with the policy of.the Government, as ex-.
hibited by the establishment and recent rers
enforcement Of the post at HoultoD. Our
principal purpose. is 70 call attention 10 The
importance oil putting the Eastern section,
of the State ina position OF defence. All
The influence Maine can command, should
be concentrated upon that point. AS 10,
Notifications elsewhere, they are Of less
present consequence, and il we ask for too
much, we may get nothing, We, need
Kennebec, and at other places; but we
need them most Of all to project the Pen
obscot waters and the country East Of il.
We need them there, not only because
Maine will not probably be agsailed in any
other quarter, and will certainly be assaii-
ed in that quarter, but, because, that sec
tiona OF. the State is now, thinly settled,
and comparatively, weak. 1t suffered in
the last war, from the desertion OF those
who. should have protected it, and 10 leave
it again exposed, after the experience OF
that war;, and with the clear certainty that
another war would bring onanother attack,
would be the commission of an act OF folly
with oureyes open.7-.augusta Age, ,,..,
fFl4Hffg tiss ns{tst.s
III The English Navy. The number of
ships in commission, in 1882, was 224. In
1910, they had Increased 10 234 The
London correspondent Of the. Journal Of
Commerce states, that the most active
preparations are now making for ifnprov-
| ing and strengthening every branch otth
naval service. Eight hundred extra men
are now to be sentint the'yards as ships
wrghts; these, added 10 the mi a,ber al
ready employed ,'wiilimake total of 8, 39l.
1.-Two ships Of the line, first class are to be
Forthwith laid down, and 10 ibe followed
by others, so as TO keep up theibuilding
FOR d class Of ships commensurate with
lthese'' en faoyed by Foreign Powers.''-
! 1.-THE naval stores are to- be, LARGELY aug
mentcd. Timber is TO be increased ia the
yards to the greatest necessary extent,
and Tthe whole establishments ale 10 be
| in such a state as to be ready for anvil
emergency The amount required for
the, service this year is e5,659, O31, -
'P'F" y '0;sa ts---ad,Op 81 tossT,
boundary Question. we are still of
opinion that the only prospect OF an adj
ijustment, is in a compromise, arising from
voluntary concession by each party of
portion of their respective claims, and that
1 I. a r r.