The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-03-29
ComAty-n1r. BaOhaAan's sP
at GullahAn.

TIE ManSlOh house On the a1tn lnSt0AI NIX
Buchanan was the guest Of the evening. When
he rose to return thanks for his health, he de-
livered one Of those graceful, terse and matter
full speeches for which he is so noted. He said
that he had met no one in England who had not
treated him as though he were countryman.
and however widely he had differed in opinion
from the Englishmen he had met, he had always
parted from them in peace and friendship. He
considered that war between England and
the United States would irreparably iDjure the
cause Of civilization and human liberty; that
despots would gloat over it and he trusted In
God and believed that the day would come
when all the dissensions which have ever exist
ed between the two countries would have
passed away.
This was the point of his speech. We can
not pass it over without congratulating the
country on its good fortune in having Nj n
lister manly enough and generous to use such
language within hearing of the very statesmen
with whom he has been engaged in so warm
an International contest There is not much
perhaps, in these stereotyped expressions OF
friendship and kindliness but when Mr..
when the arduous and irritating nature Of his
controversy with the British government is
called to MUD, they will really be seen to pos
sess no common importance and to reflect no
psltry credit on their author. Compare them
with the language Of Mr.. Marcy in his des-
patches, see how bitter and Grabbed the latter
is; or with Mr.. Pierce's messages, in which
the desire to embroil the two countries is
as conspicuous as Mr.. Buchanans wish to keep
them united. Or compare them with the grand
speeches of Lords Palmerston and Clarendon,
in which Ito pass over the actual misstate-
nents of fact) they seem to try how insult.
ing they can be and by what art they can
oest stir up the British blood to make war
upon America How pitifully small these
wretched politicians look, to be sure, by the
side Of the people of both countries?
There is passage in Mr.. Buchsnan's speech
we have not quoted. 1t runs as follows
It is impossble-And far from there being any lea
lousyso It's being proper that there should %
any jealousy in either country to tho honest and fair
extension Of frontiers Of either il ougat to be c,n
opportunity of riding their freedom snd liberal inst
sutions ever ali the unsettled parts o. the earth
Cheers
This is q sentence pregnant with sound
meaning. The reproof it administers applies
more justly to England than to this country. for
We are net in the habit Of concerning ourselves
much about British acquisitions away from
our immediate neighborhood; and though We
do make q little stir when the East India Coon
pany annexes with a stroke of pen king
dom like Dude, half as large as Nicaragua,
cur attention is arrested less by the bare fact
of the annexation than by its obvious conse.
queHces. namely, the refusal Of freedom aud
liberal Institutions to the people Of the annex
ed country, their retention in state OF vassal-
age, and the extortion OF large revenue from
them by British officials-a plan, which, what
ever be its abstract merits differs SO widely
from our Q Sn as naturally to challenge notice
We are not aware that any one in this country
has ever complained of the seizure of islands
by the British government "a thing which does
happen once in while-or of the spread Of
British power and influence in Australia, or 4.
the quiet manner in which the Chinese wer
crowded out of Chnsan, and so on. Not tia
We claim any particular merit for our forbear-
ance In these respects; the true cause was un
doubtedly our preoccupation elsewhere.
Our transatlantic cousins, who have more
time on their hands, and who naturally as on
seniors feel good deal Of uueasiness and re-
cIH9nsibility about our behaviour, pursue
nans;on plan, and grieye deeply at each ex-
purohasa 80 ,~apntry. They bewailed the
the acquisition Of Florionsey sorfoSea over
the annexation I, of Texas they &, Ao"Asa ~
vulsions when the possibility bf our au SoA'
Cuba, Mexico or Central America to tt
Union, is mentioned. Is 1t then 30 desperat
ly Injurious a thing to England that
AngloSaxon race should spread over this CT 4
tinent, carrying with it freedom, and energy,
and liberal institutions, and enterprise, AMI
free trader Has England been so ruinously
affected by the building up of New Orleans,
which now does so large and profitable trade
with Liverpool and London? Would 1t have
been better for England that New Orleans
had remained cm dc sac, without life, energy
products or foreign commerce? Apply the
principle to Cuba There is magnife. I
island, exactly the same size as Ireland, Id
capable of supporting population Of ten mil
lions without difficulty. It ought to be 4
richest spot in the Western hemisphere. 1t
is wretched sickly place, where abo1s
million Of Spaniards vegetate uu-
der the most oppressive constitution ev !
devised by despotism aud carried, out by
avarice and folly. They will not work. They
can lie in the shade, smoke segars, and grow
rich; and they do. They want no rebellion
not they. Hence their resources lie undevel-
oped. Their -four, their manufactures, their
books, their foreign goods all come from
Spain, at an enormous costs they could get
them cheaply from England or the United
States; but, ahl 1t Is too hot for them to rebel,
and life is too short. So reason the Cuoauos