Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1846-06-18

certainly de facto il not dc .jlpe. The Govern
ment Of Mexico has done none Of these things,
such as settlement. extending her laws, and
affording protection, which alone give to a
civilized people right 10 the country Of a
savage one As to all these, the natives OF
California are as much indebted to any other
nation as to Mexico; they only know the Gov
eminent Of Mexico by the exaetions and trib-
ute which are levied upon them--it is literal
ly waif, and belongs to the first occupant
Captain SUTER has two forts in California,
and about TWO thousand persons. natives aud
Europeans, in his employment, all Of them ar
med and regularly drilled. ] have no doubt
that his force would be more than match for
any Mexican force which will ever be sent
against him. He has once or twice been or
dered to deliver up his forts, and his laconic
reply has been, s'Come and take them"
From all the information which have re-
ceiyed--and | have been inquisitive on the
subject am well satisfied that there is not
on this Continent any country of the same ex-
tent as little desirable as Oregon. nor any in
the world which combines as many adyanta-
ges as California. With the exception of the
valley of the Willamette, there is scarcely any
portion of Oregon which is inhabitable except
for that most worthless of all, hunting popu-
lation-and the valley of Willamette is ofv
ry small extent la the south the only port is
at the Columbia river, and that is no port at all,
as the loss Of the Peacock, and others Of our
vessels have proven. To say nothing Of 9TH
er harbors III California, that of San Francis
co is capacious enough for the navies of the
world, and its shores are covered with enough
timber Ga species Of live oak) to build those
navieS If man were to ask Of God climate.
he would ask just such one as California. if
he had ever been there. There is no portion
of our Western country which produces all
| the grains as well; have been told by more
! than one person on whom | entirely relied,
that they had known whole fields to produce
"a quantity so incredible that will not state
I ii. The whole face Of the country is covered
with the finest oats growing wild sugar, rice,
and cotton find their own congenlal climate
| Besides all these, the richest mines Of gold and
silver have been discovered there, and the
! pearl fisheries have always been sources Of the
! largest profits and more than these, there are
( the markets of India and China with nothing
Intervening but the calm and stormiess Pacific
Ocean.
The distance from the head Of navigation
on the Arkansas and Red Rivers to a nayiga-
bic point of the waters Of the Gulf of Calilor-
MIA is not more than five or six hundred miles;
let that distance be overcome by Railtoad
and what vista is opened to the prosperity
and power Of our country. | have no doubt
that the time will come when New Orleans
will be the greatest city in the world. Thai
period would be incidentally FASTENED by the
measures which have indicated, which would
throw into her lap the vast commerce Of CHI
ma and India. Great Britain, with that wise
and far-seeing policy for which she is more
remarkable than any other Government. has
already the practical possession OF most OF the
ports Of the Pacific Ocean-New-Z Zealand and
the Sandwich Islands, and very soon the So
ciety Islands also. We have commerce Of
more than fifty millions of dollars, and not a
single place of refuge for our ships.
| | will not say what is our policy in regard
to California. Perhaps it is that it remain in
the hands of weak power like Mexico, and
that all the maritime powers may have the ad-
vantage of its ports. But one thing | will say,
thai it will be worth war twenty years to
prevent England acquiring it. which ! have
the best reasons for believing she desires to do,
and just as good reasons for believing that
she will not do it if il costs a war with this
country. 1t is, perhaps, too remote from us
! to become member of the Union. 1t is yet
doubtful whether the increase of our territory
.
! If latter, we have too much territory and
am by no means sure that another sister Re
public there, with the same language. lib
erty and laws, will not, upon the whole, be
the best for us. funited i'll one Government,
the exremites may be so remote as not to re-
ceive proper heat from the centre-so, at
least thought Mr.. JEFFERSON, who was inspi-
red on political questions if mortal man ever
was. | am not one OF those who have rabld
craving for more territory; ON the contrary, |
believe that we have enough | know Of no
great people who have been crowded into Il
small space-the Egyptians, the Romans, the
Greeks, and another people who have eXerci-
sed greater influence upon man and his des-
tiny than all others, the Jews and, in our
own time, the English. | want no more ter
ritory, for we have already too much. If |
Were 10 make an exception TO this remark, it
would be to acquire California. But | should
grieye TO see that country pass into the hands
of England, or any other of the great powers.
Whenever the foreigners in California make
the movement of separation, il must succeed.
The department of Sonora, not halfthe distance
from Mexico, has been in state OF revolt for
the last four wears, and the Government has
been unable to suppress il. The civil war
there has been marked by acts ofhorrible afro
city, which are almost without precedent in
any country. 1t is true that they do not eat
the flesh of their enemies, but they leave them
hanging on the trees to feast the birds of prey.
There is scarcely road in the whole depart
ment where such spectacles are not daily ex-
hibited.
A meeting of the citizens of Washington
county, Md was held at Hagerstown on Sat
urday last, for the purpose Of giving public
expression of their deep sense of feeling and
regret, occasoned by the lamented death of
Maj, SAMUEL RiSGGoIp, in an action with
the Mexican Army on the Sth of May last.---
Among the resolutions were the following:
'.Resolced, That while we unite IN the gen
eral feeling Of sorrow that pervades the whole