The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-06-23
Our Difficulties with Spain.

MADRID, Way ii. 1854.
The somewhat alarming reports that have reached
this capital within the last day or two through the
London papers with respect to the affair of the Black
Warrior, have naturally attracted attention an ex-
cited certain degree OF Gneasiness, although they
have not as yet, 80 far as | have been able to dis
cover materially altered the opinion prevalent here
that The question will not be pushed to extremities
by the United States. number OF Cubanos now
inMadrid-many OF whom own property in the
island, and all OF whom, from long residence there,
may be considered worth consulting on the course
to adopt in the present difficulty of opinion that
frmness is the best policy for the Spanish govern
ment, and that the Americans will hesitate to en-
bark in war that would entail great injury to their
commerce. There are some grounds for believing
that the Cabinet, Notwithstanding the senile timdi
ty of NJ Calderon de Ia Barca is disposed to act in
the spirit OF this opinion If it be true as believe.
that all the demands of the United States govern
ment have been rejected by that of Spain, the ques
ton must, fear, be considered far from settled
as ever, for no intelligence that has reached me in
duces me TO think that America will desist from
those demands, although she might, perhaps, be
induced to modify them. If M. Cuetos instruc-
tons are to make concession it would not
surprise me soon to hear That the blockade Of the
ports of Cuba and Porto Rico anticipated by an
American jonrnal had actually taken place. A few
days will doubtless remove the greater part of the
uncertainty in which now are with respect to
the course the affair is likely to take, since will
doubtless be brought before the American Chamber
as soon as the debate the Nebraska question is
Terminated. In the meantime, and unless the
Spanish Ministry, acting in opposition to professions
1t has madeto persons in its confidence, has di-
rected its Minister in Washington to make conside.
rabe concessions or is prepared to send him in.
structions to that effect as soon as it perceiyes
that a contrary course Is unavaing, | am at q
loss to see how the difficulty is to terminate with.
out hostiliiies. America is one of the last
countries that be expected to desist from
demands OF so decided a nature as those which
have been made by its Minister in complete
accordance with his instructions. Aud mere
! must express my belief founded on in.
the report mentioned by the American correspondent
of one Of your morning contemporaries, that Mr.
Soue has gone beyond those Instructions is total,
unfounded, and that this will be clearly shown
whenever the correspondence relating to the Black
Warrior question is brought before the public. II
we admit therefore, that the United States are not
likely wholly to abandon, without other compen-
sation than the remission of a trifling fine, such
demands those pat forth in the present case 1t Is
toerabiy clear thst Spain must yield prepare for
war. 1t seems the general opinion that those
demands are larger than the circumstances warrant,
and that q refusal to modify them would imply, on
the part of America, other and more ambitious
views than that of merely obtaining satisfaction for
an offence to her flag. If such views be not enter.
tainei, and If the Spanish government be disposed
to make sacrifice for the sake of peace, a way
might be found to the solution Of the difficulty
perhaps, by means of the arbitration of some
nation friendly to both of those thus unfortu.
nately at variance. Perhaps the dismissal
OF some OF the Custom House authorities al
the Havannah m ght satisfy one of the contendng
parties without too severe wound to the selfloye
OF the other. Spanish officials are daily removed
nom their posts, with little or no cause, and Ger.
tainly the shipment to the mother country of
some of those at present in Cuba would be in
no way detrimental to her interests or to til ,se
OF the colony. General Pezuela not having been
named in the notes sent in to the Spanish gov
eminent as one of the persons whose disgrace
was required, he, although in reality the prin-
Of fnIr Ntsrhf ~, ~ ksa
post and subordinate victims he sacrificed in his
stead. But If, as has been suggested, trust upon
insufficient grounds, the Black Wsrrior be merely
pretext for aggression, and America be bent upon
getting Cuba, then of course, all concessions on
the part of Spain will be mere bootess humiliation,
since they will quickly be succeeded by exactio1s
more exorbitant. And that that is the case is I
nave good grounds for stating, the general belief
among Spaniards mere, many Of whom express o
strong desire that matters should at once be brought
TO crisis, and even to the issue of arms, rather
than that this country should be longer kept in a
state OF painful uncertainty as to the fate Of her
most important colony.