Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1846-10-03


Presidents overture for negotiation was received
by the authorities of Mexico. The governmen
paper Of Saturday night contains the following
statement regarding the nature Of the dispatches
brought by the steamship Princeton from Mexico
and received by the Government some six or seven
days ago a3T -
FROM THE usIoS.
We state, upon competent authority, that the report
that Mexico has refused negotiate with the Gov
of the United States until shall withdraw GU
armies from her territory and fleets from her
This report absolutely destitute of foundation The Gov
Of that Republic has determined refer the Pres
dents open negotiations for peace
Congress of Mexico, which will assemble in the begin
ming Of December 1--WE believe the 9Th
To this annunciation the government paper sub.
Joins column of speculation on the subject Of our
Mexican relations, the posture of public affairs
in Mexico, and the prospects of the campaign
which is now opening actively by our armies against
the territories Of that anarchytrodden and Inflated
country From the article of the Union we copy
the annexed paragraphs as possessing interest in
connexion with the notice of the dispatches
''We able to put end, in a more explicit manner
than have hitherto been able to do all mystery and all
paragraph gives the version of the transaction the pre-
else form of the correspondence which has taken place
tween the Republics, presume, will be made known
at distant day. The gs of the is that the Mexi
Government has positively declined our overture
has she accepted upon condtonsshe has neither re-
fused accepted but has referred proposition to the
constituent Congress of December, to decide the whole
question.
'We unable to say how TAR Santa Anna participated
in this We understand this reply was transmitted
by Gen. Rejon the Secretary Of Foreign Affairs and that
only four days elapsed between the receipt the letter of our
Secretary Of State and the reply OF the Mexican Minister
But though Santa Anna might have been consulted abou
the from OF the reply yet the character Of
respond to the general principle which he Processes
laid down for himseof throwing himself upon the wishes
of the people and of the constituent Congress-
eve had right to expect frank and prompt answer To
liberal and gratutous proposition for negotiation
the acting Mexican Government declines without the
advice and Of the Congress December Thus
three months will eaps between their letter the meeting
of Congress How long they may spin their decisions
before they advise the Executive Government no man can
conjecture. Another month perhaps might pass by And
thus should have four months consumed idle and u-
avang procrastnaton This is surely in the usual daory
style of Mexican negotiation But, in the tme wha
spacious politician hesitate the course which VIZ
ought to pursue !"
How the Government or the government paper
had only g been able on Saturday TO put an end
IN a more erpfcit manner than IL had hitherto
been able 10 do, to all doubt and mystery about the
dispatches which had been IN its possession near
~ week, will strike the public as rather enigma
teal If that, however, be not clear, one thing dis
closed by the Union is much more SO, and that is
the chagrn of our Government at the postponement
of negotiations by the Mexican authorities until the
meeting Of their Congress. The Union says we
had right to expect frank and prompt answer 10
our liberal and grauous proposition for negotiation
but the acting Mexican Government declines to act
without the advice and concurrence Of the Congress-
Well, in all candor, we do not see how our Gov
eminent could have anticipated any very different an
calls it, in Mexico. The President Paroles had
just been overthrown, new one not installed, and
an Executive, ad interim, acting which indeed
may itself be superseded and succeededby half do
zen fresh pronunciamentos and changes between now
and December. II was hardly reasonable to expect
nm Executive authority thus constituted and thus
precarious to take the critical responsibility ofopen-
ing negotiations for peace with aGovernment which
had waged war upon them and invaded their coun-
try, and against which the Mexican people must be
highly exasperated. Santa Anna might, it is true
have done so and the Union rsproaches him with
not doing it.; but such step would doubtless
have jeoparded his imperfec;ly consolidated power
and il rather too much to expect from one so
wary. What natural, then, as for the acting
Executive to refer grave question to the Con.
gress We have known another Executive nearer
home do the same thing, even when, instead oil
any danger Of public disapprobation, the opposite
course would have been greeted with thanks
and gratitude throughout the country.
The Government is unreasonable, therefore, we
think, in railing at the acting Mexican author.
ties for declining the instant acceptance Of an over
ture, the acceptance of which would, in all likei.
hood have perilled their heads. Our Government
is anxious for peace, we have no doubt and it has
good reason to be. We have, thanks TO gallant
army, tasted some Of the glory of war we are now
beginning TO reap some OF its less pleasant fruits
and we give our rulers credit for more humanity
than TO suppose that they can hear with indifference
of the suflerings and death of hundreds Of noble
American hearts on the presidential banks of the Rio
Grande ; and for more prudence on the other hand
than to be Indifferent to that rapidly approaching
emptiness of the Treasury, which, though brought
about by system Of measures unimpeachably de
mocratc, is nevertheless rather embarrassing to Go
vernment in time ofwar We give our Government
credit therefore. for entire sinceritv in oferno IN,