The southern press., 1850-09-02
MANUEL ALVAREZ.
Why did we nearly Fight Great Britain
"11b about 544O? #iN'

Senator BENTON, who possesses the peculiar
faculty Of" diving down deeper, and coming up
dryer" than anybody else, has declared that il
arose from this fact: " ResanoF married the
daughterof Chilik9G"o Now as those most fa-
miar with Washington society and politics, are
probably utterly ignorant of the personal idcn
tity Of the individuals alluded to, or the circum
stances attendant OH their nupti,Is, we viii
allow Senator BENTON the privilege of telling
the story his own way, privilege Senator
PHELPS, in his mpatence, was not willing &c
accord him, and for which he was rebuked will
that bland suavity and dignifcd decorum o
manner so characteristic Of the narrator. In
fact the episode we are about to give our read.
ers, constituted small portion only of the re.
marks critical, historical, personal, POLITICAL &c,
&c, which the speaker finally condensed into
six or seven columns of the newspapers--the
provccation therefor being the proposed appro-
priation to Aaron Ii. Palmer, FOR the purchase of
certain publication on the Commerce of the
East. + ..a.t e, ~. -. .f s-.s...l.a.,,. =.
Unmindful ofthe fact that he, Tnos HART BEN
TON, had but short time previously procured
the appropriation of $4,000 for single page,
while this was asked for large volume, with
the fuss, the flutter and the hungry avidity with
which a duck pounces on June bug, pitched
the Senator from Missouri upon Aaron II. Pal
mer, the appropriation, and book buying
generally varying the monotony by abuse of
Mr.. Greenhow, and the affecting little narrative
of Resanoff and the daughter of Chlikofi, (whose
name is not given)
Diverging from Aaron H., after some dispar-
aging remarks in relation to him and his book,
the Senator transferred the whole weight of his
ire upon Mr.. Grcenhows book on Oregon, and
twits him, as follows, with his ignorance on an
important point which he "had found out in
another book" viz the marriage aforesaid: from
which IL seems consequences as portentous had
nearly sprung, as from the wrath of Achilles:
"After all, he does not tell us how $40
came to be established as point for the Russian
possessions. He does not tell how 54.40 origi-
mated, but will. | have found it out in another
book--m the correspondence of Mr.. Adams,
who was Minister to st. Petersburgh above
thirty years ago and must here say, once for
all, that whatever duties | may have to perform
in the Senate, want no hornbooks to teach me-
want the original works themselves. 1t origi-
mated thus, because ResanoB married The daush-
Ter Of Chihhof, or, rather, because Chiikof
married his daughter to Resanoff. The case is
this: Chlkoff was at the head of the Russian
American Fur Company This was during the
reign of the Emperor Paul, In 1899. He was
man full Of good impulses, though rather wrong
headed, The Russian company oppressed the
Indians. When he was informed of this OPP
preston he resolved TO destroy the company,
and to break it up. Chilikof was the head of
the company he had married his daughter to
Resauofi, the Emperar's chamberlain, and got
him to represent to the Emperor that it was
better TO regulate the company than to destroy
It, He therefore made this representation to the
Emperor. The Emperor yielded. In tead Of
breaking up the company he gave them char
ter, and regulated them and that charter was
precisely according TO the extent of their posses
sions at that day. The Emperor gave them a
charter to that extent merely because they had
occupied it to that extent; and that happened
to be to the south end Of the Prince of Wales
Island, which was then believed to be in 80 de-