The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1849-03-27
In expire sslpR ,his opinion and de,erminatlou, !

In expressing this opinion and determination,
am aware that | may be charged with great pre-
sumption in differing from such hugh aathorities
al MIR Forsyth and Mr.. Cass. can ouly say, IN
excuse thar do in all humility; but that, living
IN land ei freedom, have lncOrrglble habit OF
forming my opinions for myself, and being edu-
Gated with little reverence tor great names or par
nZan dicatlOD, am prone to act upon the opinions
thus form. But that those uninitIated In the d.
| plomatic secrets of the American government may
| not be 100 readily mnled by those names, will
add that my opinions are based, to great extent,
on the fact that the Instructions gwen under the
administration OF President Jackson TO the United
States legation at Madrid, In reference to our poll
| cy IN Spain and Cuba, are such as conceive every
| citizen of this Union would endorse. The issue
10 not Mr.. Cass, Mr.. Forsyth and Mr.. Polk against
the humble citizen who pens this letter II Is An
drew Jackson persus Gas I at least am content II
should be,) whatever names may be throwa irto
From the return of Mr.. Saunders to his post, in
| September, lS47, unit the close of my connection
with the Legation, on July 22d, lSiS, my DUTIES
were merely, and IN the strlctest sense OF the
| word, those of Secretary to the Mission. | could
not but observe, however, and with some pain, the
entire fulfment OF my apprehens,ons of the effect
the position of the Legation and on Its affairs.
This policy could not explain without passing the
| line which have drawn between the acts OF the
government of the United States or that Of Sp ln,
known to me through my official position towards
the archives of the American Legation at Madrid,
| and the acts OF Mr.. Polk or Mr.. Saunders, or the
| acts of either government known to me through
other sources than those archives But that the
tree may be Judged by It's fruit, there Is lmprO-
priety IN my stating that, on one important sub
Ject, deeply interesting large section OF our
Union, three notes OF MIR. Saunders to the Spanish
government renamed entirely unanswered, and
the object of them had finally to be attained through
the influence of private individual, Spanlard
In another case, affecting the convenience Of our
entire commerce with Cuba, an almost equal want
of respect was shown /; and in no case were an
swers gwen at all satisfactory, although as the
then Minister OF State was perfectly acquainted
with the English language, Mr.. Saunders had as
fair an opportunity any other dlplomatlst OF adj
vancing The interests OF his country and uoho!ding
the dignity OF the legation. The retired life led
by MIR. Saunders, and his ignorance of any modern
language but his own necessarily confined his
social Intercourse to the English residents at
Madrid, and the few members OF the diplomatic
corps, or Spanards, who understood his own
tongue. The course OF MIR Saunders IN reference
10 the mediation OF Her Catholic Majesty be-
tween Mexico aud the United States, was calcu-
lated to inspire the Spanish Cablnet IN view OF
the reception given England's offer to the
same effect with doubts how tar Mr.; Saunders
was a reliable Interpreter OF the wishes OF the
late President; and 1t is also very conceivable that
whatever may have been the good intentions OF
Mr. Saunders, aproud and susceptible government,
| such as Spain's is should harbOr some unpleasant
feeling on account of the compromise OF her Dig
NIFTY which might have ensued from those pro-
ceedngs, and even that 1t mig 1t conjecture deeper
schemes to be concealed under them than We're
by the dispute between the English and Spanish
governments, for augmentlng his influence, or re-
covering the ground he had lost, was worse than
neglected by Mr.. Saunders, while the able repre-
sentative OF the French republic reaped from It
such advantages as to give HIM undeniaby as high
a position III the councils OF the Catholic Queen
as had ever been enjoyed by the Ambas saior OF
Louis Philippe. In addition, an (unolc'aD step
| taken by Mr.. Saunders, most unnecessarily. but,
l admit, from laudable motives, at the very juno
ture OF Sir Henry Balwer's expulsion from Spain,
| fpd IN Olfrnd he
Spanish government-the more so as 1t was in too
critical position to take any notice OF 1t, had it
been aware OF it. | cordially united with Mr..
Saunders in keeping 1t unknown, and In preventing
any consequences from 1t, because feared that It
might lead to most unpleasant, ii not serious diff
cuties should even allude to it ia this letter,
were it not that from Its nature It cannot now be
brought into discussion. The position OF the L..
cation became, however, painfully evident to the
entire official circles of Madrid, by the omission
10 invite the representative OF the United States to
| be given by the Spanish Prime Minister, not
! long after the expulsion of Sir Henry Bull
wer. Mr.. Saunders exhibiting some feeling
on the subject, and endeavorlng to ascertain
the cause OF the omission, l inquired OF a person
likely to be well informed, and he, as he believed
the prime minister to be TOO courteous man 10
have so acted by design, conjectured that In N Ak
ing out the list of persons TO be invited, the name
OF Mr.. Saunders had inadvertently been lett out,
as he lived In very retired manner and was little
known Although the prime minister subsequently
compensated amply for his OMISSION. yet could
not but feel chagnned, as an American and a
member OF the Legation, that the representative OF
the United States near the Sovereign OF Cuba,
should at any time have been so completely forgot
| ten in the very capital OF her domnons But |
could not but feel surprised at the apparent obscu.
rity into which the Legation had sunk, as could
Judge OF the narrow limits within which Mr. Saun-
ders' total ignorance of the language OF the coun-
try had confined his intercourse with those around
HIM, by the fact thai, In the preceding winter, he
had addressed me a formal written complaint, be-
cause had rot gone to his house, an lnclement
Sunday, to convey HIM the telegraphic Intelligence
published in extras OF every journal OF Madrid, I'd
in the mouth OF every lnhaoitant OF 1t, that Re-
public had been proclaimed in France!
From these facts, IT may be judged IN what state
OF efficiency the Legation at M tdrid when the
late administration entrusted to it, in July last,
one OF the most important, delicate, and difficult
negotiations which could be placed the hands of
a di plOmatist.
The statements contained in the letter of cor
respondent OF the Y ". Herald, dated Madrid,
Sept. 18th, lS4S, amount to an assertion that Mr.
Folks administration had given MIR. Saunders IN
structions, under which that envoy conceived
himself authorized "to sound the Spanish govern
ment their dispositions to sell or cede the island
OF Cuba to the United States" d, If So to buy it;
that Mr.. Saunders "made an informal inquiry" into
the subject; and that " accordingly, negotiations |,
with that object In view, may be SAID to be opened
by the despatch" containing those Instructions. |
OF the substantial correctness of those assertions
have not the slightest doubt. The Spanish gov
erEment, very properly combining itself to its own
acts, and awaiting itself OF the careless expression
OF the correspondent, has denied that there were
any negotiations on the subject; for "negotla-
tom is a technical term with a fixed meaning
and the Spanish government could with truth deny
Its existence, tor, as am enurely sure, answer
to the inquiry OF Mr.. Saunders, the Duke of Va
lencia General Narvaez) gave the same answer
which he gave to the inquiry made Of him in the
Cortes, some months before, and which he has re-
p"attd in reply to the same inquiry when made of
hun lately, as published in the American papers
Had had any doubt OF the correctness OF the as
seTtions OF the Herald's correspondent it would |
have been entirely removed by the TACT that the
official organ OF the late administration confined |
Itself copying the denial OF the Spanish govern
ment by what learn Of the matter In Cubp itself;
by the reasons gwen by Mr. Berren in the u. ). |
Senate Tor his request that MIR. Miller should with
draw his resolution of INQUIRY on the matter: nv I