The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1849-10-05
From The National Mttliieeacsr, 22d in
The French Question.

The O.lcial papers relating TO the un.
fortunate misunderstanding that has nriseu
between the Fench Minister to this couu.
try and our Government, which we are en-
abIed 10 publish to-day, will attract the Al
tenliou Of oil readers and we have no doubt
lhs. they will be very generally peIused
with great interest.
ln order 10 connect The paper enc with
another, and 10 put the reader IN possession
Of eenersI view OF the whole course aud
bearing of this misunderstanding, We have
made Up f.om ma'erals at our disposal the
following narrative OF the successive Incl
dents which have marked It's progress, by
The help Of which The Official Cp,respon-
dence all be more readily understood than
otherwise perhaps i. would.
1t appears ths,, on the I'll day Of Feb
ruary last, the Minister Of Fence to the
Unied SAFES, { II. poussin,) 10 n note to
Mr.. BuchanaD, predecessor 10 othce oil tie
present Secretary Of State, stated that he
was charged By the French Government TO
prosecute a csim against the Government
Of the United Sya,es, brough, By French.
msu established in Mexico named A. Port,
for indemnificnllon Tor damages sustained
By him, flom the ec:s Of certain agents Of
The army of the Umied States. HIS applI
cation might be regarded az being 10 the
nature Of an appeal from the sentence Of a
Military Court OF luqulry al PJebla, which
had made decision uufayorable 10 tie
claim he presented.
|, appearing that no answer 70 this note
was returned by Mr. Buchanan, Mr.. Clay.
ten los, no time, after the clam was thus
presented, IN devoting himself 20 full aud
far Investigation of II, aud, from Difference
TO the high authority under whose sane
ton Il was presented, postponed important
public busnets 10 order 10 crafty Mr.. fous.
siu's ureen, demand for speedy decision.
Ia less than three weeks siter be took
charge Of tie Department Of State, and
within ten days after the subject had bsen
hrough, 10 his notice, be had review ed the
evidence suboiltd to hin by the tlench
Government, apd al the evidence he could
ob'ain and, 90 the 2S b day Ct March last
anncunced 10 hir. poussiu in respectful
language, his decision, which vas, that
4 Port had 90 ,is, cause to be dissatisfied
with the award Of the Military Cour, Of
Inquiry" isJi satisfied allb this decision
that Minister. on The I3 h March last, ed
dressed to the Department Of State another
note, 10 which he reviewed tie grounds Oh
Which be Supposed the decision had been
made, and anlmadveried with much severn.
~ upon The testimony Of Colonel Childs, q
distinguished cili:cr Of tie American army
in Mex CO, who had been examined as q
witness before the Court Of liqulfy at Pue
bIa, hlch bad unanimously conde mned the
clam Of MIR. Port as VI Just, and whose Dc.
cisiun had been regularly sanctioned and
approved by Major Genefa Scott, the Com
nander 10 chief. Having entertained the
appeal from the sentence Of the Military
Court a, the request Of Mr. Poussin, aud
dc iniilsely decided il, upon foil view Of
all The evidence he had presented, Mf. Clay.
ton might, with perfect pfopFety, have dc
clned any further correspondence with him
on that subject. But his high respect for
the Government he represented induced
Mr.. Clayton 10 reply, On the l0'h OF April
last, nsslgninc reasons for the decision he
had made, aud respectfully conto1ersing
some Of the positions the French Minister
hod assumed. O. the 18Th Of April he re.
celved from Mr.. Poussin another note, on
the sane sui pct, ~ which, without the
shadow OF pro,ocauou, The French Minister
lndul. Ell 10 strain Of lnyectlve and oppIo.
bum, apparently nleuded TO be highly Of.
ienslve 10 Me Government Of the United
Safes.
This being the frs, instance in which
any minister Of a Iorelgn country had ad
dressed MIR. Clayton, 10 his official charac
ter, IN language oiienslve 10 the American
he immediately submitted the |
,o5ft spaudencc 10 the President, By whose |
instructions he lest no Time IN requesting
VIZ. Peussu 10 repaI: 10 This city without
delay.
HIS offensive noe vas dated at Washing.
on, whle he was absent u New York, up.
Yards Of two hundred miles distant from
his city, which. if not satisfactorily ex
lsined or retracled, would have required
/ the hands of this Government that all
correspondence With him as a Minister
bouId terminate allhout delay, as a meas
e indispensable to the maintenance of the
oudiy relations SO happily subsIsiIng be
rern the two nations. This made II i'm.
or,ant TO himself and to his Government I
IA, he should forthwith repair TO this !
ace.
Mf. Cayton's note 10 him of the 2lst Of q
prl was written after the receipt of his 7
,mmunca,ron, and requested him 10 re, .
llr to this city wHh the Intention of per.
ittins hun 10 retfacl the offensive passa- $
IS in his noie, and especially the follow. u
.: "Ihe Government ofthe United States I
ust be convinced that IL is more honorable !
acquit fairly debt contracted during Il
ar, under the pressure Of necessity, than '
epade It's payment by endearoring to d
and the character Of an honest man, = =
he same note contained an attack upon Il
olone Chllds. And /, closed with the {
uendo that The Department OF Stale had r.