The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-11-27


eat or success of the democracy will depend
Entirely upon the merits of such an opposition
organization. A month or two Of Congress
will lift the fog, and enable us at least TO de-
,ipfer the outlines OF the headlands along the
coast. We await the organization Of Congress.
Dur Relations with Eng and-True Cause of
the War Excitep.ent.
Private letters by the Canada, which are
singuaarly confirmed by special despatch
from Washington, printed elsewhere, throw
some light on the recent trouble with England.
1t nas all aloag been copjcctured that the near
prospect Of the Presidency had something to
do with the sudden squall. 1t appears now
too certain to admit of doubt that the threa-
teniDg aspect Of our relations with the British
government may be traced in no slight mear
sure to the malad~oa management and in
trigues Of the Honorable VIM. l.. Marcy.
When Mr. Pierce became President the sub
jects of negotiation or dispute with England
were Ave in number--the Canada reciprocity
question, the fisheries, the Central American
question, Cuba and Hayti, or Dominica. 1t
would have been very simple matter for u
man Of diplomatic ability to have settled all
five satisfactorily at one and the same time
Unhappily this could not be done without al
lowing some one to make capital out OF the
arrangement, and Mr.. Marcy would permit no
thing of the kind. He therefore settled sepa-
rately the Canada reciprocity and the fishery
questions obtaining much worse terms than
ha hou obt nod ha RI uat
tie them together; and allowed Buchanan aud
Soule to run riot on the Cuoa question up to a
certain point, when, to win the favor Of the mer-
camille class, he turned round upon the I'M
wary diplomatists and hlake them down.
Matters were in this Sonditiou, and Mr..
Buchanan, perceiving how hopelessly he had
been duped, was tor returning home at once,
when the first symptoms of the enlistment basi-
ness were made known to Marcy. He saw at a
glance the advantage that might be taken of
them; but, as the skilful surgeon often scarf
fies the part before operating Marcy pre-
ceded his onslaught on the enlstm. nts by a
fierce despatch on the Mosquito question. This
was sent in June or July last The British
government, knowing nothing of any new sub
ject of quarrel, replied to Marcy in o de-
termined tone reviewed the whole tenor of
former negotiations on the Central American
questions, and took occasion to advance Lord
Palmerston's peculiar crotchety views on these
points at great length.
Very shortly after this the enlistment scan
dial became public, and great alarm was caused
in England by the news Of the excitement it
had created here. The mercantile interest
took fright at the very thought of dis.
turbance with America; and Lord Palmerston,
in order to anticipate the STERN, rose in his
place in Parliament and announced that, in
order to satisfy the United States govern
ment, not only had enlistments been stopped
within the frontiers Of this country, but
orders had been sent to the British provinces
to stop them there likewise. This apollo
gy, Lord Paimerston trusted, would remove
any little irritation that might have existed
previously, and diplomatic intercourse wouid
so on as smoothly as usual.
But the chief of the British Cabinet did not
understand the true purport of Marcy's Mosquito
despatch. Much less did he foresee that about
the time his conciliatory speech was arriving
in America, the trial Of Hertz weuld take
place, gravcly inculpating the British Minister
to Washington, and Mr.. Gushing would write
letters branding the British agents ia this coun-
try as malefactors. Still less did he imagine
that before his attempt to conciliate reaehed
Washington, Marcy would have replied TO his
former despatch on Central American affairs
in manner and language falling but little
short of an absolute provocation to war. This
last despatch of Marcy's embraced all the
grounds of dispute--the enlistment business
the Central American questions, the conduct
of Champion aud the British consuls, the Do
minican squabble, and the policy of Great
Britain in general. 1t was especially eloquent
on the Mosquito questions; being based, in this
particular, on former correspondence of Alb
bolt Lawrence's on the same subject, aad Mr.
Marcy having availed himself of course with
out acknowledgement, of the arguments which
Mr.. Lawrence had used.
This despatch reached England at the same
time as the trial and confession of Hertz, aud
the letters of Mr.. Cushing Relying confident.
ly on the ample apology he had made in Par
by the contents of this unexpected mail.
Where he expected to find fair words and a
civil acknowledgment of his concession, he
found, as Mr.. Champion said, the trial of the
British Minister actually going on at Philadel
phia, the United States Attorney General
writing letters calling him aud the other
British agents maleiactors, and the United
States Secretary of State apparently ran
sackipg us brain and his records TO make
up a crushing case against the British govern
men'. Overwhelmed by the shock, on the
spur of the moment Lord Palmerston tele
groph.d 10 Paris for Sir Henry Bulwer. whose
knowledge and American experience he
thought might be serviceable to him 10 the
emergency; and as Marcy's despatch was of a
character to be not inconsistent with the most