The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-12-29

Extraordinary ana M0Ge Important D1pA0mer
tsc Intelligence ON the Cuba Question-Adop-
sson er the Osssnd War Policy-Last Card o.
the Administration.
Our special Geographic advices from Washing
ton, Of this morning, touching tie latest move
ments Of Soule and the Cabinet and the Ostend
diplomacy on he Cuba question, are of the very
highest interest and Importance. They are spe-
cifc and circumstantia', and we are fully as
sured of their authenticity. The intelligence
which we are thus enabled to lay before our
readers, is, therefore, of the utmo:t m ment,
involving, as i, ooes the abandonment by
Marcy Of his conciatory Spanish policy, and
his surrender to the war coalition of he Ostend
convention. The result is that in behalf of
the President, the Secretary of State is pre-
pairing an extraordinary message to Congress
upon our relations with Spain, of o decisive and
belligerent character.
Thus our Cabinet and diplomatic intrigues
and entanglements upon Cuba, of the last twelve
months, are brought to crisis, and the admin
istration, in its present extremity Of distress,
has resolved play its last card, and stake its
desperate fortunes upon the venture. The un-
meaning and scanty illusions to our affairs
with Spain in the late annual message to Con-
gress, led us to suspect at the time, that
Spain and Cuba were held in reserve, the plan
Of Mr.. Pierce being first to try the experiment
of the soothing system 1t failed-signally
failed; the annual message, for all purposes of
political capital, proved an abortion. Now,
after much wrangling and hard struggle
with Marcy, the radicals have succeeded in
whipping up the old moderado to the work,
rather than resign his place to their substitute.
The Ostend, the Cabinet and Kitchen Cabinet al
active agent Of Buchanan in the adoption Of his
Ostend Cuba platform for the Presidency; and
we have only now. to wait patiently for the war
message which is to be thrown into Congress,
and the explosion of the bomb.
1t appears from our despatch, which corro-
borates all our previous information upon the
subject that the Ostend convention was Pre-
pion and Soule for its manager-that they
agreed upon q decisive war policy towards
Spain, and that leading object of their pro-
ceedings was to hoist Marcy out Of the Cabinet
and put Buchanan on the new Cuba platform,
in the high road for the succession. 1t also ap-
pears that Marcy, from the beginning, has been
the great obstacle in the way of this Ostend
coalition, and that Caleb Cushing, in his letters
from Washington, all along, has been an active
colaborer in their efforts to supplant the un-
suspecting Premier.
Their scheme was too brilliant, however, to
admit of any nice scruples in regard to Marcy.
A policy which comprehended "the acquisi-
ton Of Cuba in less than six months" or q war
with France and Spain, embodied so much Of
grandeur and glory as to excuse almost any
conspiracy which would remove the only ac-
tive enemy in the administration to the plan.
Ambitious Of distinction, and bold and ad, oft
in the prosecution of his game, Soule has bent
all bis energies to belligeI ent issue with the
Spanish government. He has found in Mason
an aspiring and willing instrument, and in
Buchanan credulous believer in Baltimore
conventions and in the capital of war-cry for
the succession. Sustained, ALSO by Kossuth,
Sickles and Sanders, in London, and by the &C.
tive cooperation of Cushing and the Kitchen
Cabinet at Washington, we cease to wonder at
the success of Soule, or at the credulity of
Buchanan, or the final submission of Marcy.
The denouement is at hand. The whole plot
viii come to its grand development in the
message which Marcy is preparing for Con-
gress. Meantime things are going on at Ma
Grid precisely to the hearts desire Of Soule.
He has been received, upon his return to the
Spanish capital with Indifference and has been
treated with contempt. Espartero processes to
be too much engrossed in home affairs, or in
riding out with the ladies, to reopen negotia-
tons with our Minister upon the Black War
rior, or the purchase of Cuba, or anything else
OF course this is insuferable. Soule, therefore,
writes homo for definite instructions, and we
may now divine what they are to be. Our bel
licose ambassador may yet achieve his desired
ultimatum of rupture with the Spanish Cabi
net, demand for his passports, and trium.
plant return to Washington as a flaming mes
seDger of war.
According to our Washington advices Of a
few days ago, the Cabinet have abandoned for
the present the idea Of prosecuting negotia-
tons for the acquisition of Cuba. The special
message which Marcy is drawing up will most
probably confirm this information. The recon-
me ndations of this message WILL we suspect, be
limited to the unsettled affair OF the Black
Warrior, and considerable schedule Of
similar outrages upon our commerce and
our citizens. by or with the connivance
Of the Spanish authorities of Cuba. Up
on these unliquidated grievances strong
case may be built, strong enough to make the
ears OF Young America aud the Order of the
Lone Star Jingle with delight. Unless, too,
Marcy again djsobeys the wishes Of the Cabi-
net as be appears to have done in his State
papers, in repeated instances heretofore, such a
case may be expected soon to be laii b,fore
the two houses. 1t will be an easy matter