The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-02-17

guiatl0ne Ol tA&t State.
We nqw lay before our readers second mr.
ticle on tho same subject.
The BRITIsH CossuL AND Gov. MEANS
When Lord Palmerston during the last winter,
was Intercepted in Parliament az to what the
british government had done to procure a
change in the laws Of South Carolina relating
to eolored seamcn, he replied in substance, that
the matter had been pressed upon the attention
o. tho government at Washington; that the
Secretary Of State, Mr.. Clayton, admitted that
these laws were good subject of complaint,
and their provisions not in harmony with tho
reciprocity treaty; but no said il was State
matter, and not properly within the sphere OF
federal powers, each State being, within the
limits liked by the Constitution, sovereign over
her own territory. Moreover. it was replied,
that II the British government pressed the com-
plant, the United States would make it their
option 10 give the required notice for the abro-
CATION of the treaty--that in fact TIE admins
tration had been strongly urged to that step by
the manufacturers, with view to the settlement
Of our commercial relations with England on a
basis moro protective of their interests than the
present.
Thus our government admitted the Justice of
the complaint, and refused to interfere, on the
express ground that South Carolina had SOW
erign power over the matter in question. There
upon, the British government instructed their
consul for this State, Mr.. Matthew, to invite
the attention Of the legislature to the grievance
and il possible procure its redress from that au-
thority which was admitted to have power over
the subject. A correspondence ensued between
Mr.. Matthew and Gov. Means, soon after the
inauguration of the latter and which he imme-
diately transmitted to the legislature. 1t was
late in the session, and so many important ques-
tons engrossed attention, that no attempt was
made to dispose finally of the subject, but it
was referred to joint committee to consider
OF 1t during the recess, and report at the next
session. The correspondence was not pub
lished, but only printed for the use of the men,
bers of the Legislature, and the press in this
city has no such rabd passion for news as that
which prompts the Northern newspapers to vio-
late equally the respect due to individual feel
ings and to the public good for the sake of bIaz-
oning the very latest intelligence. We did not
publish it, because we thought such was the
wish of the Legislature, and that probably the
satisfactory adjustment Of the difficulty would
be best promoted by leaving 1t In the hands of
the committee entrusted with its consideration
But it appears that Mr.. Van Buren's Free-soil
organ, the New York Evening Post, has or had
correspondent in Columbia, who, poking about
the Legislative hall to pick up any scraps that
might be left, found a copy of this oorrespon-
dence on the desk of one Of the members, and
enclosed it to New York. It has gone the
rounds of the Northern press, and been made
the OCCASION for venting world of abuse of
South Carolina. That Is NATURAL because they
only ask for any sort of pretext for that; but
what is not natural, and is indeed uncomfortable
to one not IN the secret Of the political move
ments of the North, is that they profess to find
in the correspondence itself, Justification for
charges of official misconduct on the part of the
British Consul. They affirm that he had no
right TO address the authorities of South
Carolina But he was instructed by his govern.
ment to do so. Then they affirm that by in
structing their agent to "treat" with South
Carolina, Great Britain has acknowledged her
independence, and offered fragrant indignity to
the federal government; and that Mr. Matthew,
in carrying out such instructions, has made him
self the medium OF The said indiynity, and that
setrespect demands Of our government the
prompt withdrawal of the recognition of his
official character. TO this it is replied that
Great Britain has acknowledged the indepen-
dence Of South Caroline, just go far ma she was
invited to do by the government at Washington.
She has admitted the power Of the State to
enact the law, and has, on the plain advice of
MIR. Clayton, appealed to the law-maker to
modify the law so as to relieve her subjects
from an alleged grievance. The object of the
appeal was as respectful as the medium of it
was appropriate. 1t was within the province of
the consul. The redress was sought from those
who alone had the power TO grant it.
These things are so plain, that it is quite evil
dent no set OF men having the smallest share of
sense and knowledge, would call them in qucs-
ton but for some object not appearing on the
surface. The truth then is, that the North de-
sres exceedingly the abrogation of the existing
commercial treaty with Great Britain. The
federal government admit, in their negotiations.
that British subjects suffer wrong by operation
of the laws Of South Carolina, but refuse to in
tertcre on the ground that the State has supreme
and sole jurisdiction In the premises It only
required one thing more--the denial of al right
OF communication between the British authori-
ties and the State legislature, and then Great
Britain would be reduced to the alternative of
relinqushing her complaint or submitting to
the abrogation Of the treaty. They believed
that the latter would be the result. Hence the
rage Of the tariff press at the development of
strong probability that the difficulty would be
settled by the action of our State They have
lost hopeful prospect of fastening new letters
on Southern commerce, for the benefit of the
manufacturers, and they are cure there must be
treason somewhere. However much Mr.. Fill
more's administration may be disposed to favor
commercial restrictions, we cannot admit that
they are blind enough to follow such lead as
this. They cannot complain Of the proceeding
of the British government without the orossest
Inconsistency. and they cannot impeach the act
of the British consul without Offering an insult
to the government by whose Instructions he
acted. We do not suppose that Mr.. Webster is
either stupid enough to risk the former, or
trucnlent enough to rush upon the latter. He
will, it is presumed, adopt the middle course. of
shaking his head and saying nothing.
Theatrical.
An immense crowd at the National HILL