The native American., 1840-09-26

From all this, the inference in favor of the
pretensions of the United States, would seem
TO be irresistible. But the effect of this is
to give the United States gore of land
north Of the St. John, which the British
Government think il desirable for their own
interests 10 possess. Accordingly, during
the negotiations at Client, not claiming this
gore Of land as theirs, they labored siren
ously, though unsuccessiully, to buy it of
the United States. Failing in this attempt,
they some years afterwards, first set up a
claim 10 il as theirs; claim unjust in its
origin, arrogant in its prosecution, and which
has moro than once seriously endangered the
peace of the United States.
The British Government is induced to de-
sire the tract of land in question, because it
lies nterposed between the Provinces of New
Brunswick and Qate) Lower Canada. 1t is
precisely as if the United States, in order to
straigh,en our boundary and strengthen our
frontier, should lay claim to that portion Of
Upper Canada, which separates Michigan
from New York. ##
To give color to its claim, it has been the
| first object of the British Government 10 re-
mouc The northeast angle Of Maine, from
The north to The south Of the riUer 81. John.
| In undertaking to do this, they nullify and
reject all that part of the Treatry description
to the line which speake Of the northwest
angle of Nova Scotia.
| They nullify and reject, ALSO all that part
| Of the Treaty description which exacts high
lands, adjoining the st. Laurence and lis
tributary rivers, and constituting the igue
des peasants of the St. Lawrence.
A Al. .~c
tons Of the Treaty, they standupon this one
solitary petty bubble, namely, that whereas
the ST. John flows Immediately into the Bay
Of IM1dy, therefore it is not river of ''those
which fall into the Atlantic Ocean, though
in the same breath they themselves contend
that the St. Croix, which flows into Passa-
|maquoddy Bay, and the Penobscott, which
flows into Penobscot Bay, are nevertheless
rivers which in the Treaty sense 'iall into
the Atlantic Ocean" That's, the bubble
is not only a very poor one, in itself, but it
is one which does not even work through
The argument, and is therefore self-contradict-
ed and selCconfuted.
Having, by this piece of country court in
genuity, raised preext for placing the north
east angle of Maine south of the 81. John,
though confessedy neither at the northwest
angle of Nova Scotia, nor i'll the highlands
bounding the St. Lawrence basin, the great
anxiety Of the British Government repeat,
has been to seek out and set up highlands
Somewhere, (no matter where, provided they
be south of the St. john by means of which,
to fulfil at least one of the three conditions
of the treaty description, namely, HIGH
LANDS DIVIDING RIVER HEADS.
After due reflection, the British Govern
ment pitched upon an insulated conical ele-
vation, called Mars Iill situated between
the enthusiastically head waters Of the St.
John and the head waters of the St. Croix,
which, though, as | have already suggested,
II falls into the Atlantic Ocean not otherwise
than the ST. John does, by falling into an
Atlantic Bay, they were compelled, in viola
ton of their own premises, to treat as riv-
er of g those which fall into the Atlantic
Ocean,"
This pretension that Mars Hill is the lire
of the Treaty, which the British have per-
sisted in for nearly twenty years, and they
have stained all the arts of diplomacy to su s.
tain, is now admitted, not only by Mr.. Butler,
Major Yule and others in England, who
have recently discussed the question, but by
Mr.. Feathestouhaugh himself, to be totally
destitute Of foundation in truth,
What remained? Should the British
Government abandon the whole controversy?
Mr.. Featherstonhaugh has very kindly
stepped in, and rendered to them new pre-
text, which they can, if they choose, avail
themselves Of, as the aliment of new series
Of controversies with the United States. I
hope they will not do this; that they will
Il, .I, ~ -a, Nv, IL
it the noxious compound of one who is
equally traitor to the interest Of both Gov
ernmens. 1t would be better for both, if lin
the language of the old rhymist, preserved by
Walter Scott,)
"They gard the Featherstones have their jaw;''--
that is, if we are to Judge Of the race by this
"Albany Featherstonhaugh." The people
of the United States, at any rate, should be
prepared with proper knowledge, in season,
Of the nature of this new pretext, if by
chance the British Government should adopt
and urge it against the United States.
Mr. Featherstonhaugh seems to have as
signed to himself the task : TO find high
lands south of the St. John to claim by, in
stead of Mars Hill which it was impossible
any longer to contend for and, in the per-
'orinahce OF lnls TASK, not regarding nice
distinctions, he has venured to assume that
to find highlands, and 10 invent them, was all
the same thing. 1t may be SO in Latin but
it is not so in English IN the English Of
Elizabeth and James, which our fathers
brought over with them TO Virginia and Mas.
achusets.-Nay, not content with this a
lone, Mr.. Featherstonhaugh appears to have
adopted as the motto Of his report, the old
adage, Tiam nreniam Uel ncian,. For on