The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-06-16


back, tip him ". INK, and give him to under
stand-as Mayo. Wood would do-that it was |
all for show.
what re- ,ource is there under these circum-
stances, tut in revolution?
JaD % Buchan.n's Conse.vatism-Tbo Ostend
Conference Explained.
A number Of the newspapers are discussing
the question whether or no ia Ee,, Buchanan is
. conservative in foreign pf;licy. In the
speech ne lately made OF Wt.estland in reply
to deputation he claimed to be conserve
tive himself, and to be staus.ing on thoroughly
conservative platform, both as regarded the
foreign and the domestic interests Of the coua.
try. On the other haed, number of journals
arc pointing H. the f. nous Ostend manifesto,
to which his yisme IS attached, and in which it
is urged that the very existence Of the United
States nvolves the political necessity Of wrest
ing" Cuba fromsSpain in tho event of refusal
on the part Of that Power to sell it to them for
fixed sum Of money. This manifesto--the
obvioes tendency of which was to plunge the
United States into Q sudden war with Spain
and her allies-is attempted to be explained
awsy by Mr.. Buchanan's friends, who urge that
the contingency it contemplated is yet distant
We suspect, on the contrary, that 1t was not
Intended to refer to any distant contingency;
hat that perfect and complete history of Mr.
pierre SOULS mission to Spain, his negotia-
'tions, his movements and his private opera
tions. both at Washington and in Europe,
would tend to show that the Ostend confer
ence and manifesto we're the beginning of .
plan Ct operations that were expected to lead,
andwould really have led, to most remarks
BILE results and complications between the
United States and Enrope, and would perhaps
have caused q revolution Of enormous extent
involving both continents in war.
It is we'll known in diplomatic circles at
Washington that when NJ. Pierre Souls was
appointed Minister 70 Spain by the President,
he arranged his own instructions in concert
with Mr. Pierce, and Inatured plan Of opera
tions for the acquisition Of Cuba, according to
their joint notions. Mr.. Cushing was perhaps
party to the scheme; Mr.. Marcy was not, but
M.Eoul never imagined that he wocld, as
Secretary Of State, raise any objection to the
policy agreed upon between the President and
himself.
Fhe plan was thiE-A. Soula was authorized
by his government to offer the government Of
Spain one hundred or enc hundred and twenty
millions Of dollars for Cuba. He was also in.
stgxcted to demand immediate redress for the
nunerous outrages committed by Spanish yes
sells off and near Cuba en- American commerce.
Onthe first point his instructions were CON-
pletc when he sailed; be took them out with
him. On the second, they were delayed till
after,hc had gone, in order to suit the conve-
nienea OF Marcy. Meanwhile Souls sailed
for kCrope. In London, he had repeated in
terviews with the members of the Revolution
airy CoEmittee- Lsdru Rollin, Kossuth
= and with their advice and-agaistance, the plan
of operations he was to carry out was ex-
panded. The United States were to be used as
Q fulcruE on which the revolutionary lever
was to rest; the crisis of the Eastern war was
to be turnsa to account, and while the three
leading Powers were engaged On the Black
Sea, the wEsae Of Western Europe was to be
reused, and krown into general blaze.
In pursuance of this scheme, the American
government calculated that Spain world refuse
on American commerce. This happening, an
expedition was tc be instantly fitted out in
the United States and Cuba seized as q mate
rial guarantee for the reparation due Just on
the came principle as the Principalities were
seized by Russia as e material guarantee for
the consent Of Turkey to her terms. A secret |
treaty was we'll known to exist between Eng |
land, France and Spain. securing to the latter |
the unmslested possession Of Cuba, especially |
against the United States; this treaty would |
Gospel the maritime Powers to take up hos |
tile position in reference to the United States
and this would in moment interrupt all COM
msrce and friendly intercourse between the
United States and the Western coast of Eu-
rope. The supplies Of breadstrfs and cotton
from America being suddenly stopped, the
masses both in England and France would, it
was expected, be precipitated into insurrection
and revolution.
Such was the plan Of operations conceived
by Nszzini, Kossuth, Ledru Rollin and their
associates, in combination with the movement
Of Soule. In order to bring the Pierce-Marcy
administration to take the first important step
in this matter-namely, to break the peace
toward Spain, and seize Cuba Is q material
guarantee-it was necessary to procure the
concurrence Of the American Ministers in Paris
and London in some general principles looking
to such contingency. Hence the necessity
for the Conference. About the same time Mr..
Daniel sickles, shrewd politician, was ap-
pointed secretary to Mr.. Buchanan at London
Mr.. George N. Sanders, politician Of the
same school, and man Of strong revolution
Ary tendencies, was appointed Consul to Lon
don. Mr.. Piatt, Of Cincinnati, man of singu-
lar original talent, bat an ultra revohtionist,
was named Secretary to Mr.. Mason ct Pari&
They ell united ct the Ostend Conference, and