The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1856-01-11

Sucn consent, Is an httlck on the national
sovereignty.
Such being the public rights and the mu.
nicipal law Of the United States, no solici.
tude on the subject was entertained by this
government, when, = year since, tho British
Parliament passed an act to provide for the
enlistment Of foreigners in the military SER
vice Of Great Britain. Nothing on the face
of the act, or in its public history, indicated
that the British Government proposed to at.
tempt recruitment in due United States; nor
did it ever give intinalion of such intention
to this govcrnmet. ltwas matter of surprise,
therefore, to find, subsequently, that the
engagement of persons within the United
States to proceed to Halifax, in the British
province of Nova Scotia, and there enlist in
the service Of GreptBriaD, was going on
extensively, with little or no disguise. Ordi
nary legal steps were taken to arrest and
punish parties concefned, and 30 put an end
to acts infringing the municipal law and de.
rogatory to Our 16vereignty. Meanwhile
suitable representations on the subject were
addressed to the British Government.
! Thereupon it became known by the nd.
mission of the British government itself, that
the attempts to draw recruits originated with
it, or at least had its approval and sanction;
but it also appeared that the public agents
! had stringent instructions" not to violate the
municipal laws of the United States.
1t is difficult to understand how it should
have been supposed that troops could be
raised here by Great Britain, without viola
tlon of the municipal law. The unmistakable
object of the law was to prevent any such act,
which II performed ut all must be either in
| violation of the law, or in studipd cvasons of
| ii; and III either alternative, the act done
would be alike injurious to tho sovereignty
Of the United States
In the meantime, the matter acquired adj
ditonal importance, by the recruitment in
the United States not being discontinued, and
the disclosure of the fact that they were
prosecuted upon systematic plan, devised by
official authority: that recruiting rendezvous
had been opened in our principal cities and
depots for the reception of recruits establish
ed on our frontier; ard the whole business
conducted under the supervision and by the
regular cooperation of British officers, some
III the North American provinces, and some
IN the United States. The completely of
these officers in IN undertaking, which could
only be accomplished by defying our laws,
throwing suspicion over our attitude of neu.
trality, and disregarding our territorial rights,
is conclusively proved by the evidence elicit.
ed on the trial of their agents us were appre-
hended and convicted Some of tho otiii,.ar.
thus implicnted we're mon of bi,b nf,ic;,I M.
sition, and many Of tfcm h.vonJ an, ;ur;s
diction. so that Iep,l nrncnodn,r, .",Ij r,,
reach the sourra az ,b;s m;srh;nf '0'
These considerations nnJ tho f,,, ,h,, ,,o
cause of conplaint was not =, mar, n,s,,,I
occurrence, but deIiberate des;rn ontnrod
upon with full knowlcdoc of onr I,ws ,nJ
national polcv. and conducted h,, roe,ors;l,a -
public functionaries. imnrlIrd ma IN nrnsont
the case TO tho British t;ovarrmnrt in nrJor
to secure, not osF,t-a erssstiuI of The wronr.
but its reparation, The subject is sill under
discussion, the result of which will be com.
municatcd to you in due time
repeat the recommendations submitted
to the last Congress, that provision be made
for the appointment of Commissioner, in
connection with Great Britain, to survey and
establish the boundary line which divides
the Territory of Washington from the con.
tigious British possession. By reason of the
extent and Importance of the country in dis
puto, there has been imminent danger of col.
Iision between the subjects of Great Britain
and the citizens of the United States, inclu-
ding their respective authorities in that quar-.
ter. The prospect of speedy arrangement
has contributed hitherto to induce on both
sides forbarance to assert by force what each
claims as Il right Delay on the part of the
two Governments to act in the matter will
increase the danger and difficulties of the
controversy.
misunderstanding exists to the extent.
character aud value of the posscssory riphts
of the Hudson'sBay COMPANY, the propcrty
of the Puget's Sound Agricultural COMPANY,
reserved in our treaty with Great Britain,
relative to the Territory of OREGON, | have
reason to believe that the cession of the
rights ofboth companies TO the limited States
which would be the rradcst mems of fer.
minatinp all questions could he had on ren.
sonabIe terms: and with n view 10 this end. I
present the subject to the attention of Con.
oress.
The Coloncv of N,w Fou,dIord b,virr
enacted the laws required Inv the treaty of
the 9th of June, 1854, is now placed on the
same footing. in respect to commercial in.
terconrse with the United states os the other
British North American nrovincrs
The commission which thot trs,tv co,.
templated. for determininy tho ri,h,s of GsL.
cry in rivers and mnn,hs of r;yors IN ,h.
coosts Of ,bc ITn;,cd St,tos .nd tbe Rr;,;"L
North Ameri., nroyi,css b,O hoon or,,ari,oI
and has commcncpd its Iahors to ronInIeto
which there il nceded further ,n,rnnrint;nns g
far the service ofnnothsr soason
In n,rsr,neo " as e"e' thn ,Is';,,. s.%so,, e.,
h., rpasaI'',;' ~. ."S "".'o',ty' e"tIot.eu
St,tcs nossed oo tb, AL or NJ, ~ 's,''
tlce was oiven 10 Denmark on the lith
Apr. of the intention of this government IN