Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1852-12-03
The Cessson Of Cuba-The Omclal Correspondence
upom the Subject.

upon the Subject.
Some time in July last, the House Of Representa-
tives passed resolution calling upon the President
for the official correspondence ofihe Government IN
relation to the Island of Cuba and the policy of the
United States concerning the same not, an has
opinion incompatible Nth the public interests" Al
though this call made weeks before the adjourn
mens of Congress- the first intimation the public re-
ceived of the documents, last week through the
columns of the National Inielligencer.
The documents are quite voluminous, extending
from 1922 to 1913 but the chief interest centres in
the correspondence between Mr.. Buchanan, Secre-
tary of State under Mr.. Polk and Hon. R. M Saun-
ders then American Minister at the Court of Spain.
The letter of Mr.. Buchanan to Mr. Saunders,
bears date June 17th 1848 After setting forth the
friendly feelings of this country towards Spain and
our perfect willingness that Cuba should always re-
main colony of that country, Mr.. Buchanan states
that we cou'd never consent that the Island should
become colony of any other European power. in
whose hands il might prove runous both to our do
mestic and foreign commerce. and endanger the I'm
ion of the States. The position of Cuba with reia-
ton to the mouth of the Mississippi and its value and
Importance to generally, are then shown !; and
these coupled with the aforementioned desire of
preventing its falling into unfriendly hands are alu-
ded to- as reasons for desire the part of the u
States to become possessed of the Island, if its pur
chase could be effected by the offer of fair and just
equivalent; and to this end, Mr. Saunders is author
lied and directed to open negotiations-one hundred
millions being fixed as n maximum. 1t is suggested
to him, that he mil ht urge upon the Spanish Gov
ernment as for entertaining the proposition
for the sale of the sland-frst The unsettled state
of the Island ITSELF and the consequent danger of
losing it by revolution and second The danger of
its being wrested from Spain by Great Britain should
rupture ever take place between the two countries,
arising out of the dismissal fSir Henry Bulwer,
and be retained to pay the Spanish debtdue to Brit
ish Bond holders.
The letters of MIR Saunders to Mr.. Buchanan are of
different dates from July Goth to December 18th, 1848,
giving accounts of the various attempts at negotia-
tion and their final failure in the assurance of the
Spanish Minister, I" that it more than any Min
lister dare, to entertain such propositions that he
believed such to be the feeling of the country that,
than see the Island transferred to any poa0er
they would prefer to see it sunk in the ocean"
The publication of these documents at this time,
is one Of the most extraordinary and indefensble
movements in the political history of the country,
and certainly can iDd defence in the call Of Con-
grcss for that of course, conditional, that the
production of the documents called for should not
be incompatible with the public interests If the
President had acted with the sole desire of embar-
RAISING the relations of his with the Span
ish and British Governments-if his wish had been
to place serious mpediments in the way of the peace
full acquisition of Cuba-f not to render such acqui
stion impossble-he could not have taken more
direct course for The attainment Of his object.
Every opposing party in the game has now seen
our hand Spain knows how much we would give
if we were pushed, and the value attach to the
acquisition England is officially informed of our
jealousy of her upon the subject: and the means we
have been taking to guard against her and France
under her Emperor, will grasp at this as a new
and plausible pretext for that interference with
which we have been already threatened.
The wcak--the surprisingly weak point of the
| Fillmore Administration. has been the Foreign Re-
aions; but the Lobos Islands blunder, and the mis-
erably undignifed treatment of the Cuban Difficult
ties--past and pending-sink into perfect insignia
canoe before this last, which caps the climax, anG
stands alone in its sublime reckessness and
ured stupidity.