The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-08-14

! by men who, by these means, have carried the
laws of England around the circle of tho earth.
Lord Ashburton understood his mission. All the
elements by which his success was 10 be rendered
certain, had been put in regusition before his de-
parture from home. The British cabinet had al
ready prepared the way which was TO lead to the
contamination of his object. They had sent UI
panic to the United States in advance Of his advent.
they had no trouble TO do this II was a thing
they had often done before, and will do again,
as often as war panic is found the cheapest means
Of extortng concessions from us. How easy
the processi ! will imagine the scene. | will
imagine the British minister for foreign affairs to
have invited to Ms presence select few of the chief
merchants and bankers of London and Liverpool
engaged in American trade and stocks, and there
fore connected with commercial houses and stock
brokers IN our Atlantic cities. | will imagine him
to address them thus: Gentlemen, IL is the in.
terest of her Majesty's government that her
Majesty should have a part Of the territory
of Maine, In order TO shorten the route and ia
ciliIate the march Of her Maesty's armies, to
put down republican principles in her Majesty's
Canadian proyi ces. Ii is also necessary that her
Majesty should have another part Of the territory of
Maine, mountain barrier Of some hundred miles
in length, which council Of her Majesty's gen.
erals-over whom Field Marshal the Duke of
Wellington presded--haye declared would give 10
her Maesty's armies great advantages over the Uni
tied States in the event Of war. To obtain these
great objects, her Maesty's government have de-
q
ment of the United States. Her Msjesty's govern
ment have reason to know, by private advces from
that country, that the condition Of affairs there is
most suspicious to the policy Of her Majesty 5 gov
eminent. 1t is material, therefore, that her Ma
jesty's minister should depart on his mission
as practicable; but II is more important TO the
success of his mission, that, previously to his de-
parture, the apprehension Of pH toih England
should be impressed upon the government Of the United
States. With this view, steps have already been
taken, as you must have perceived, TO have 1t an
nounced, through the principal journals Of London
and Liverpool ia the service Of her Majesly's gov
eminent, that her Maiesty's government was ma
ding extraordinary preparations for war, by
land and sea--that great activity was oU-
servable in her Msjesty's dock-yards, in
the preparation and armament Of ships for
sea, peculiarly adapted to distant servee--that
large feet had already put to sea, apparently des-
tined to the coast Of America-that the admiralty
board had for weeks held daily sessIons-that sew
eral regiments Of her Majesty's troops had been
ordered from the West Indies u her Maesty's prov
inces in America-thst every precauton had been
taken TO increase and strengthen her Majesty for
thcations and garrisons in those provlnces-and
that all these preparations were understood to be
made in consequence Of the threatening aspect which
the Maine boundary discussion between the two
countries had unhappily assumed-a state of things
which had already greatly affected stocks and ex
change, and increased the rate of insurance on all
vessels engaged in the American trade. The
nouncement OF these matters you have, no doubt,
seen in these journals; but these journals do not
circulate in America, 1t is indispensable TO the inter-
ests of her Majesty's government, that the same
matters should be announced in the leading journals
of the principal cities IN that country, particularly
| New York and Boston. IL is likewise Of great mo
ment to her Majesty government, that, in addition to
this announcement, those American journals should
strongly depict the horrors and serious consequences
of such war. In word, it is necessary thus To
| at m first he
apprehensions of the commercial and other great in
terests the seaboard, and next through those in
terests, upon the apprehensons of the American
government itself You now understand the policy
OF her Majesty's government; and as Lord Ashbur-
ton, her Mejesty's minister, will depart to America
within very few months; and, also, inasmuch as II
is deemed vitality important TO the interests Of her
Mnjesty's government, that these effective impress
sons should be made upon the governmen mt of the
United States prior to his arrival there It is the
pecia desire of her Majestys government that each
Of you, gentlemen, should Immediately commun-
cate with your respective houses, agents, and BUSH
ness associates in America, and especially in the
cities of New York and Boston, nstructing them
to impart to all the public journals in their interest,
and within their influence, the proper tone IN accord
ance with what you are now advised Is the policy
of her Majesty's government"
These were the means, and these only, to which
it necessary for the British cabinet resort in
order to get up war panic on this side of the At
what sir was the facti For months before he reach
ed our shores, the leading papers of our seaboard
cities began send forth wild shrek of horror
at the idea of with England. The cry was
instantly repeated by the presses of kindred char
acter throughout the interior. Many and mighty
were the ornaments which, were told, England
was preparing against us, by land and sea. Com
merce, it was said, to be swept from the ocean
cities laid in ashes--he whole face of the land
made desolate, and all the countless calames OF the
world were to be concentrated upon our devoted
country If we did not yield to the demands of Eng
and. The expenditures of such war, in money
and in life, were footed up in columns of frightful
figures, and displayed to our people and govern
ment as so many additional reasons why we should
surrender to England such parts of our native soil,
as she might think proper to exact. To be sure, ii
was known that all branches Of the government,
and the Senate by unanimous vote, had de-
clared our title to be perfect to the whole ter
ritory in question; to be sure, it was known
that all branches of the government had sworn
to support the constitution; to be sure, it was
known that the constitution forbade the dsmember-
ment of the State of Maine, by the surrender of a
territory which lay within her acknowledged limits:
no matter for all thisno matter for rights, for hon.
or, for oahs, for the constitution-Englandw wanted
the territory, and that enough. And, therefore,
the public man who dared even to hesitate in the
surrender of his native soil to a foreign monarch,
was denounced and reved by these presses, as
though fidelity to ones oath and country a
crime, and virtue alone to be found in perjury
and treason.
Thus, then, all things being ready-the war pan
ic---the bloody humbug having been skilfuy con-
: jured up in the United Staes and timid as to
strike the two houses of Congress at the very mo-
ment of their meetIng-the departure of Lord Ash
burton for America was duly announced in the Lon
don and Liverpool papers, and the announcement
duty repeated in those of our eastern cities. Eng
land, we were DETERMINATIONS, just, generous
Ensland--inAuenced solely by the pious desire to
maintain the peace of the world and to promote the
sacred cause Of civilization and religion had gra-
ciously condescended to send us a messenger Of
peace; and, therefore, that Lord Ashburton would
be furnished with plenary powers to select such
parts of the State of Maine as her Majesty Victoria
the First desired to possess Upon this announce
ment, real joy took the place Of affected terror upon
the features of those who had been the instruments
of the war-panic imposture. Their eyes turned to-
ward the ocean, burned to catch the first glimpse
of the honor-burdened bark which had been de-
spached to our shores with this especial minister Of
peace, and gazing, new in this direction, now in
that, they beginning even to rebuke the slug