Washington telegraph., 1848-01-12

under the Mexican Government, connected
in any shape with Texas.
The question now under consideration
Is on y ihal between the United States aud
Mexicoi and In that View Of the suhieel ii
quite immaterial whether the acts Of the
United sIalos omanaled from Congress nr
Itom the Executive. No ael Of either 10.
eaghising the country beyond the Naeees
as paf Of the territory of tho L. slaies.
ean be alleged against Mexico, as ploaI
oil lheir fighl 10 the country thus claimed.
Any such ael Is only an assertion, dec.
anioni hnl not an argument sustaining
the right. II is, however; proper Ia
ohsefse here that the poft oil delivery
vest ol the Nueees, erected by the net Of
10 establish collection district in the
State ol Tens, was at Corpus Christi,
place which was in tho aclual possession
Of ttat State.
II must also he promised thai in tho laini
resolution lof lha annexation OF Tetas, the
question oil the boundary between il and
Mexico Was expressly reserved a. ore
which should be settled by treaty between
The United slates and Mexico.
he only arguments in the Presidents
Message, which sustain the right Of Texas
Ia lelalaly beyahd lie Nusees. are con.
TUNED IN ihose passages in which il Is N.
tehed that The jurisdiction Of feaas Ind
been extended aud exercised beyond tho
Nueees: that the country hetweeu that
river and the del Noae had been renrn.
sonied IN the Congress ami Convention of
feAas, had lallen pant in The annexation OF
ilsei, and was now included within on Of
our Congress districts.
Rul il IS uol slaled in The Pfesideai'z
Message hue far beyond the Nneees The
jurisdiction Of Texas had been extended,
nor Rhli part of the country between the
river aud the del Nnrle had heen renreseh.
ted in the Congress and Convention ol
fekas, and was then included within nna
ol our Congressional districts.
Now the actual jurisdiction beyond the
Nueees never extended luflher lhan tbs
adjacent settlement nf San palrieo. con.
sisling uf about twenty families. Thu
small district, though beyond the Naeees.
was contiguous 10, and IN The actual pos.
session u lesas. ou this account il might
be righilully included within tae Limits
which we were bound 10 protect aeainsi
Metitan Invasion.
lini what vas the country between IL
small settlement pfsan ralIico, or between
Chofpas Christi ani the Rio del SaHe,
over which Il might be supposed, ifaa tie
message, that the jurisdiction Of fssaa
had been extended, 50 as 10 be included
within one Of our Congressional dislfieizi
llere, again, Tens had erected lhal snail
settlement into n county, called san paifi.
co, and declared that this county extended
10 the RIO del Nolie. This. like al other
declamlaB aels Of the same kind, was anly
an assertion, moi affecting The question oil
right. The State of Texas might with
equal propfiely, have declared that lhoiF
boundary ehiendelio the Sierra Madrs or
TO the Pacific. The true question Of right
10 any territory beyond the Mexican limits
of the department OF Texas depends on the
Facts: by whom was The territory in ques.
lion actually inhabited aud occupied and
bad the inhabitants united with Texas In
the insurreclon against Mexicol
The whole country between San pain.
co and Corpus Christi, till within a few
miles ol the del Norte, Is perfect desert,
one hundred and sixty miles wide Ly the
route pursued BY Gen. Taylor, US stated by
himself and near one hundred and twenty
miles in straight line.
The only settled part Of Ills along the
leil bank of the del Noric, and but law
miles in breadth. This bank was settled.
inhabited and occupied exclusively by
Mexcans. II included the town of Lore.
doi and Mexico had cusiom.house at
Brasos, north of the river. Till occupied
by the American arms it had ever been,
and was at the time when invaded by Gen.
Taylor. part Of the department Of Ia.
mlulipas, and subject TO the Jurisdiction of
the Prcfect oflhe northern district of that
department.
In the course olthe war between Me1i.
co aud Texas, incursions had been occa.
sionally made by each party into the terri.
tories oil the other. A Mexican officer had
once or twice obtained temporary oceupa. D..
ton Of San Antonio, within the limits Of
Texas; and the Texans had on one occa.
sion taken Laredo itself, and more than
once had carried their arms, not only 10
the LEFT bank Of the del Norie, but even be.
yond that river. Ia both cases tho aggres.
siye parties had been repulsed and eIpel.
led. The last Texan expedition Of that
kind took place in December ls42, and
terminated in their deIca' u: Mier.
Iha, the country adjacent 10 The ltft
bank Of The river was exclusively in tho
possession OF the Me1icans, was vol
known TO our Government.
When Gen. Taylor marched TO the del
Norle be issued an order, (No. 3d. trans.
lated into Spanish, ordering all under hi.
command 10 observe with The most scrupu.
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