The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1847-11-26

Is to be our next presidentf--ars now open fsf
discussion and debate throughout the land
Speak out, men and brethren.
SECRET Mission OF THE BRITISH GovERShENr
-MILrrA LAWS AND GAME LAws-We under-
stand that the British Government nave sent on,
to The different Consuls in this country, set OF
enquiries in relation TO the militia laws In eacn
State, and the system of organizing volunteers
as at present practised throughout the country
A cur;ous anecdote has been told US on this sub
| ject.
One day, one Of her Majesty's Consuis In a
certain city down East, approached State offi-
Ger under whose superintendent, in some way
or other the militia laws come; and pulling oil
his hat, said, "I have been directed by my GO
vernment to make certain enquiries, and If the
information is agreeable to you to give, should
be heppy 10 obtain it," "Ah," replied the Off
Ger, what is it 2" 81 have been directed" re-
iterated the Consul, "to request from you a copy
Of all the militia laws in force in your State"
Indeed p' retorisd the State officer with SEEM
ing astonishment; 81 will give you copy OF
these laws, bound and lettered and gilt on one
condition"
The Consul expecting some stringent condl-
ton, replied that if il WIS IN his power he would
agree to any reasonable condition for copy OF
the laws. "Well, them" said the State ofhcer,
81 will have these laws bound, eilt and lettered,
and will send them as a present to Queen VIC
toria herself, on condition that your government
read them over and tell me what they mean; for
never could fnd out what the devil the mean.
ing OF oil our militia laws was"
This enquiry, and the reply to it, are some IN
dicatio, Of certain state Of facts. The British
government, and other governments in Europe,
no doubt, have been astonished at the military
skill and heroic courage of our volunteers, who
have CONQUERED Mexico the second time, in far
less time than Cortez did it, This is mystery
| which is not understood in Europe. But the
British government will look in vain into our
militia laws to discover the mystery which they
are 80 DESTROYS TO find out. We can, however,
point out mode of solution. II they will send
out their agents, their consuls, and their minis
tiers, upon wide prairies on to our sea shores,
or over our mountains, they will find out that
the skill Of the American soldier is owing more
to our game laws, than to our militia laws
Every youth in this country, as soon as he Is
able to carry gun, goes out into the woods and
swamps, and shoots whatever he pleases, at the
proper season. No individual interferes with
them--they become good marksmen from their
infancy--they understand engineering on asmall
scale, from youth up. Again, look at our fire
companies, and volunteer corps, as they may be
seen every day parading our streets. We see
them daily pass by our Office, returning from
some target excursion. And mark how the
target Is riddled by these unerring marksmen !
Yesterday was Thanksgiving day-and on that
day alone, probably nearly 300 men, stout, strong,
stalwart fellows, were engaged, in different parts
of the neighborhood, in target shooting. Here
is the secret.
The British government may search IN vain
into our militia laws for the secret of our sue
cesses in Mexico; but she will find it in our
game laws. There are general system In ev-
cry State which merely protects the game for
season, and, WHEN the proper time has arrived,
permits every one, without any distinction of
birth or profession to shoot as much as he pleases
aud wherever he pleases. The source of all our
victories is to be found resulting from our free
institutions, from our independence, from the
individual spirit OF the nation, and not from any
peculiar State legislation, which Legislation is,
in general, laundering, incoherent, multitude
nous, perplexed and mysufed, as well on the
militia laws as on most other matters.
THANKSGIVING DAY.-Yesterdsy was thanks
giving day in twenty.four States OF the union'
and in those twenty. four States divine service
was performed in the churches, after which, those
who attended adjourned to their respective
homes, and ute their thanksgiving dinner, to
furnish which melancholy number Of turkies,
geese, and chickens had to fulfil their destiny.
In this city, all the churches were we'll attend
ed, and all the minister gave their hearers a
sample of what they could do in the way of SER
monising on extraordinary occasions. A great
many OF these sermons, we are informed, touch
ed upon the war with Mexico, which was cited
by the authors as an evidence of the sinfuness
of the age, and rather improperly, we thirk II
we estimate the amount of sin in the world
for the least half century, by the number of wars
within the same period, and compare it with
other ages of the world, even since the rise OF
! Christianity, we should have large balance in
| our favor at the present time. If, on the other
hand, we compare the number of ministers we
| had in former times with the increased number
we now have, and estimate the sinuness of the
world in the same proportion, large balance
would be made out against us at the present age
| The time was when a minister was content 10
live on two or three hundred dollars a-year Blu,
nowadays, they would starve on any thing les,
than as many thousands. ''-- ...t -.,- r
We, above all people in the world, ought to be
pious-for we pay enough for it. In proportion
to our numbers, the people OF the United States
pay more for the article than any other people
! in the world Between supporting ministers and
churches, We pay about FIVE millions of dollars
| per annum, in hard cash, without counting the
interest of the original investment.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS, AND OTHER VAsARIRs.-
Rumors ahoat that the sage of Quincy has
come out in favor of the annexation of the whole
of Mexico. That seems to be very probable
Mr.. Adams has always been eccentric. On the
Oregon question, when Mr.. Polk claimed to
6fty.four forty, the sage Of Quincy claimed as