The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1854-12-20


: on the contrary, they are acknowledged to
: :, essential to the security of neutral commerce
= and the only apparent obstacle to their genera
!, adoption is in the possibility that it may be Ell
) numbered by inadmssble conditions.
: The king Of the two Sicillies has expresse
j to our minister at Naples his readiness to concu
: in our proposition relative to neutral rights an
: to enter into convention on that subject.
= The king of Prussia entire] y approves of til
: project Of treaty to the same effect, submltte
:, TO him, but proposes an additional article pre-
viding for the remuneration of prlvateerne
J. Such an article, for most obvious reasons,
: much desired by nations having naval estab
! lshment large in proportion to their foreig
! commerce If it were adopted as an interna
: tonal rule, the commerce of nation hayn
=, comparatively small naval force, would b
: very much at the mercy of the enemy, in cas-
:. Of war with foreign power Of decided nava
superiority. The bare statement of the condl
, ton in which the United States would be place.
: after having surrendered the right to resort t
! priyateers, in the event Of war with a bellger
ent Of naval supremacy, will show that this gov
. eminent could never listen to such a PROPOSE
ton. The navy Of the first maritime power il
Europe is at least ten times as, large as that o
the United States The foreign commerce Q
equally exposed to hostile depredations. In wa
between that power and the United States, with
E out resort on our part to our mercantile marine
the means Of our enemy to infict injury upor
our commerce would be tenfold greterer than
ours to retaliate. We could not extricate oul
country from this unequal condition, with such
an enemy, unless we at once departed from oul
present peaceful policy, and became great
naval power. Nor would this country be bet
ter situated in war with one of the secondary
naval powers. Though the naval disparity
would be less, the greater extent, and more ex-
posed condition of our widespread commerce,
would give any of them a like advantage over
| us.
The proposition to enter into engagement to
4 forego resort to privateers, in case the coun-
try should be forced to enter into war with a
great naval power is not entitled to more favo
rablc considerationthan would be proposition,
to agree not to accept the services Of volunteers
for operations on land. When the honor or the
rights of our country requires it take hostile at
tltude, it confidently relieves the patriotism of
its citizens, not ordinary devoted to the mill
tary profession to augment the army and the
navy SO as to make them fully adequate to the
emergency which calls them into action. The
proposal to surrender the employ of privateers
is professedly founded upon the principle that
private property of unoffending non-combat-
ants, though enemies, should be exempt from
the ravages of war, but the proposed surrender
goes but little way in carrying out that prinei
pie, which equally requires that such private
property should not be seized or molested by
national ships Of war. Should the leading
powers of Europe concur in proposing, as rule
of international law, to exempt private property
upon the ocean from the seizure by public
armed cruisers as well as by privateers, the
United States will readily meet them upon that
broad ground.
Since the adjoummentof congress, the ratif-
cations Of the treaty between the United States
and Great Britain, relative to coast fisheries,
and to reel procal trade with the British North
American provinces, have been exchanged and
some Of its anticipated advantages are already
enjoyed by us, although its full execution was to
abide certain acts of legislation not yet fully
performed. So soon as it was ratified Great
Britain opened to our commerce the free navi-
cation of the river st. Lawrence, and to our
fishermen unmolested access to the shores and
bays from which they had been previously ex-
cluded, on the coasts of her North American
provinces, in return for which, she asked for
the introduction, free of duty, into the ports of
he United States, of the fish caught on the
same coast by British fishermen.
This being the compensation stipulated by t
he treaty, for privileges of the highest mpor- {
ance and value to the United States, which were t
hus voluntarily yielded before it became effect
We, the request seemed to me to be a reasona- t
lie one, but it could not be acceded to, from
want of authority to suspend our laws imposing t
uties on all foreign fish. In the meantime the t
reasury department issued regulation, for as I
the duties paid or secured on fish v
aught on the coasts of the British provinces
nd brought to our markets by British subjects, a
fter the fishing grounds had been made fully G
ccesslble to the citizens of the United States. r
to your favorable consideration t
roposition, which will be submitted to you, for d
uthority to refund the duties and cancel the f
onds thus received. Theprovnces of Canada S
nd New Brunswick have also anticipated the c
all operation of the treaty, by legislative ar /,
respectively to admit, free of duty, z
lie products of the United States mentioned in tt
lie free list of the treaty, and an arrangement,
milar to that regarding British fish, has been ST
ade for duties now chargeable on the products b
those provinces enumerated in the same free c,
st, and introduced therefrom into the United u
'ates, proposition for refunding which will, A
my Judgment, be in like manner entitled to b
'ur favorable consideration in
There is difference of opinion between the b,
nlted States and Great Britain as to the boun- st
Try line of the territory of Washington adj &C
ming the British possessions on the Pacific, tn
hlch has already led to difficulties on the part D,
the citizens and local authorities of the two m
'vernments. [ recommend that provisions be tn
ade for commission, to be joined by one on A
e part of her Britannia majesty, for the pur- Sc
use of running and establishing the line in con- tie
oversy. Certain stipulatons of the third and
arth articles of the treaty concluded by the q,
nited States and Cheat Britain in 646, regard G
: possessory rights of the Hudson's BAY G:
mpany, and property of the Puget's sound su
rlcultural company, have given rise to seri- co
disputes, and itisimportant to all concerned W.
1t summary means of settling them amicably 19
ould be devised. | have reason to believe on
1t arrangements can be made on just terms i'm
the extinguishment of the right in question, tic
bracinr also the lipht Of tbn Hudeon,, lox 49,.