Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1845-01-24

might be atduced, that The power W dutni1 Oaho
ia, and "oher colonies" did not remain dead
letter exactly; but, that desire was manifested
in various ways OF bringing 1t into exercise as
soon as an opportunity presented it>elf. VIII
refer 10 one or Two of them, which happen to be
now at my command.
|, NAV be remembered, tha, quite early IN the
year 1882, very significant pIosno>tics alleSted
tina! The British Government was sadly worsted
and tagged out BY the war she had been waSins
against The Colonies for six long years, ana oy
the gallant and victorious resistance she haa en-
countcred and crippled as she was IN all me
''snews OF war; it needed no prophet 10 loreteii,
that her military and fiscal cxhaustions must
drive her ere long, 10 put an end 10 inc war
even though, The Thirteen Colonies should De
snndered from the Empire, and though The loss
of Canada itself should be added 10 her vast anu
varied sacrifices. Some proof OF this may DC
seen in the following extracts OF letter, from
Mr.. Madison Qher a member OF The Congress
of the Confederation TO Edmund Randolph (!hen
Governor of Virginia dated philadelphia, Aug.
Is, l7S2'-as follows;
Dear Sir transmitted TO You lew days
ago, by express, tie contents OF ieiter rom
Gen Carleton and Admiral Disby TO Gen.
Washington, announcing The purpose OF inc
British Court to acknowledge The independence
Of the Thirteen Provinces" &c.
"a Mr.. Blake. an opuent citizen OF South Ca
rolina who came rom Great Britain under a
passport from Mr.. Laurens 10 New York, ana
thence hilher, assures US that the administration
is serious with respect 10 peace and Inc ihdepeh-
dence OF this country; that The poinI, however,
was carried in the Cabinet by two voices only
that their finances are SO disordered, that The con-
tinuance Of the war is in manner lmpracticable;
TINT The militia Of .N.w YorL hare been thanked foT
their paa Myriccs, and told explicitly that they
would mol be wanted in future" &c. That
Carleton told him, and desired him to mention II
at large, that he was real friend 10 America, and
wished herlo be powerful, rich, united and hap.
py and secure against all her enemies; that he al
SO inlmated in the course of his conversation, mat
Canasa ~oald prOdaJlu DC gircn mp as nc fourteenth
mcmbc' Of the COnfcde,aey. You will draw such
conclusions from these particulars, as you VIII
see III. The gentlemen OF South Carolina vouch
for the veracity OF Mr.. Blake" sc.
AT still later date, when the Revolutionary
War; for all practical purposes, was al an end,
TO wit, on the 4th OF February, 1888, it will be
seen from the following entry OF that date IN the
Journals OF Congress, that importance was still
attached 10 the idea OF the accession OF Canada
10 the Union, though neither her troops nor her
treasures were then needed 10 ensure the triumph
of the United Colonies
Congress OF Confederation, February 4, 1853 :
"Mr. Lee communicated 10 Congress letter
he had received from MIR. Samuel Adams, dated
Boston, December -, 1892 introducing Mr.. -
from Canada, as a person capable OF giving IN
leligcncc relative 10 affairs in Canada, and The
proct,cabiupof uniting that prOrtnce nth ne Con-
tedIrating States Tie letter trds e0mmtttea
The facts and circumstances already referred
to- strongly ignore the purpose attributed TO Inc
Convention, Of incapacitaling The nation by CON
stituional obstacles, from extending IT'S bonnda-
ries and charging and strengthening The Union
by ludicious accessions from Foreign Territories
This position will be strongly sustained. bv Ia
king even cursory glance of the condition OF
Louisana-oi the great and growing West-and
of the menacing aspect Of our relations with
Spain between the close of the Revolutionary
war and the assembling of the Federal Convcn-
ton y: Philadelphia.
Within the period indicated New Orleans, the
whole Of Louisiana, and all Florida, was under
the metropolitan dominion OF Old Spain-and
she had arowed her fixed purpose, and maintain
ed it 10 the very letter hitherto 10 resist by all ex
pedienls even unto war, The American claim 10
free navigation Of The Mississippi. This was
all well known 10 these conscrpt fathers, when
they met al Philadelphia 10 devise plan 70 bind
these States for all time in one golden chain OF
union and send il forth 10 the States 10 I've ratified
with their patrio, benediciions Of $50 BE- lT-EsTo
rEaPErr-," Surely we are not 10 attribute 10
these parcntcs p1i,iG such destiluton OF all wis
dom ard forecast, that they could not look for
ward 10 The day when our hardy and Industrious
citizens would have conoregated upon The fertile
hanks OF our Western waters-that, when there,
they would be without an outlet OF Nature 10 The
open sea for their increasing superux OF products,
save through the Delta oithc Mississippi; and tore
seeing could they have doubted, hut that the Anne
rican claim 10 its tree navigation would have
been asserted and enforced; aye-that, sooner or
later, the iec.simple title 10 lis anvious must
pass 10 US lie the price that paid for il treasure
or blood? And when that time should have
come and Louisiana, The key 10 the great Val
lev, should be merged into American ownership
what then? What is 10 become OF herl Be
come of her. Why the Convention answered
the question half century ago-for, the Con
venlion anticipating The emergency, met and
provided iur il, by making room for her and her
Gordon OF Younger sisters, in The Constitution, in
that very clause, now upon all mems lips, "Ncr
states maVbc admitted iiio he Union" But | an
ticipatc-
In the times we speak of, the Spanish domin-
ions on both banks of the Mississippi reached
from the Balize hundreds OF miles into IL" intc-
Western bank until they struck the vast South
ern borders Of British North America. The wa
tiers Of Western MARYLAND, and Western New
York, and Western Pennsylvania, commingled
their contributions, and together sought outlets in
10 the Gulf OF Mexico Virginia then included
Kentucky III her domains and three-iourhs OF
Kentucky lay in the great Western valley; and
the Ohio and the Mississippi formed the bounda.
~ of both tor more than a thousand miles. n.
Carolina then included Tennessee, and had the
Mississippi for lis boundary for hundreds OF miles;
and Georgia then embraced Alabama and Mis-
sis>ippi, and was bounded for several hundred
miles by the same great river How is il pos
.iblc for any one 10 persuade himself that all
these great States, New York, Pennsylvania and
Virginia, Maryland North Carolina and Geor-
gia, constituting one half Of the whole OF all the
States represented in the Convention, and COM
prising within their limits at least two-lhirds Of
the whole population of the Union at that day,
with snch vast and increasing Interests claiming
their protection could have assentcd TO a provi-
sion susceptible OF an Interpretation debarring
them and their pos,erily forever from the ac-
QUESTION oil territory, the possession Of which
was made essential TO its free navigation, and
subject at The very time the "dced is done" TO a
foreign domination which resisted, dd beiium, the
exercise Of that privilege? II there be a STATES
man with his eyes open who can believe Mai,
history and biography should pause with their
chronicles, and immoraize him on the spot as
The ".JndGns APpeiia' Of the age!
The Congress Of the Confederation was by no
means Indifferent 10 this great interest. The
Virginia members, with Mr.. Madison at their
head, were ever active in urging on the negotia-
lions OF our minister at Madrid. Some years
ago, January 9Th, 1922, Mr.. Madison took occa-
sion TO correct an error Of MIR. Ramsey, in his
history in relation 10 this subject and wrote a
letter therefor TO Mr.. Hezekah Niles OF Baltimore.
The following is an extract:
",rhe delegates from Virginia had been long
under instruction from their Stale TO insist on the
right 10 the navigation Of The Mississippi, and
Congress had always included it, in their mii-
matnm for peace As late as the 18th of October,
1850, (see the secret Journal of that da,e,) they
renewed their adherence to this point by nndnl-
moDsty agreeing TO the report of a committee 10
whom had been referred certain instructions to
the delegates Of Virginia BY their constituents"
and a letter OF the 18th May from Mr.. Jay al
Madrid Ir4ich reyort prohibited HIM from reiia-
sbjD0 N, rj0kI oF Ibr TDjIeI SJt<s IN L> frcr