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

sovereignty.
Such being the public rights and the mu
! niripal law of the United States, no soici
5 lude on the subject was entertained by thi
, government, when, ayear since, the British
: Parliament passed an act to provide for tn,
enlistment of foreigners in the military ser
vice of Great Britain. Nothing on the fac,
| of the act, or in IFS public history, indicated
that the British Government proposed to at
tempt recruitment in the United States; MOI
did il ever give ntlmation of such intention
to this governmpi. ltwds matter of surprise
therefore, to find, subsequently,, that III,
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 Great Britain, was going or
extensively, with little or no disguise. Ordi
nary legal steps were taken 10 arrest and
punish parties concerned, and so put an enc
to acts infringing the municipal law and de
rogatory to our sovereignty. Meanwhile
suitable representations on the subject were
addressed to the British Government.
Thereupon it became known by the ad
mission of the British government itself, that
the attempts to draw recruits originated witt,
it, or II. least had its approval and sanction
had stringent instructions" not to violate the
municipal laws of the United States.
Ii is difficult to understand how it should
have been supposed that troops could he
raised here by Great Britain, without viola
tion of the municipal law. The unmistakablr
object of the law was to prevent any such act,
which if performed at all must he either in
violation of the law, or in studied evasOns of
it, and iL either alternative, the net done
would be alike injurious to the sovereignty
Of the United States. r.-r.. I-i
In the meantime, the matter acquired ad-
ditional importance, by the recruitment in
the United States not being discontinued, aud
the disclosure of the fact that they were
prosecuted upon asystenatic 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 co operation of British officers, some
III the North American provinces, and some
in the United States. The completely of
these officers in an undertaking, which could
only be accomplished 10y defying our laws,
throwing suspicion over our attitude Of neu-
traliiy, aud disreg.rding our territorial rights,
is conclusively proved by the evidence elicit.
ed on the trial of their agents as were appre-
hended and convicted. Some of the officers
thus implicated were men Of high official po.
stion, and many of them beyond our juis.
diction, so that leg proceedings could not
reach the source of this mischief.
These considerations, and the fact, that the
cause of complaint was not n mere casual
occurrence, but deliberate design, entered
upon with full knowledge of our laws and
national policy, and conducted by responsible
public funciionaries, impeilrd me 10 present
the case to the British Government, in order
to secure, not only a cessation Of the wrong
but lis reparation. The subject IL still under
discussion, the result of which will BE- com.
municaed to you in due time. H '3..
] repeat the recommendations submitted
TO the last Congress, that provision be made
tor 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-
tgious British possession. BY reason of the
extent and Importance of the country in dis
pute, there has been imminent danger of col.
lision 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 boil,
sides forbarance to assert 10y fnrce what each
claims rs right. Delay on the part of the
two Governments to act in the m tier " i'll
increase the danger and difficulties of the
controversy. tf.' $50 ''' 10 t''''a
d misunderstanding exists to the extent,
character aud value of the possessorv rights |
OF the HudsonsBay Company, the property
of the Puget's Sound Agricultural Company,
reserved in our treaty with Great Britain |
relative to the Territory OF Oregon have
rri,sop to believe that the ccssion of the |
rights Ofb0th companies to the United States, |
which would he the rcadiest means of ter.
miuating all questions could be had on rea
sonable terms; and with view to this end, I |
present the subject TO the attention of Con.
grcss. ''
The Coloney of New Foundland, having
enacted the laws required by the treaty of
the 9th of June, 1854, is now placed on the
same footing, in respect to commercial in
tercoursc with the United States i,s the other
British North American provinces.
The commission, which that treaty con.
for determining the rights of fish,
cry in rivers and mouths of rivers on the
coass of the United States and the British
North America Provinces, has been organized,
and has commenced its nbors; to complete
which there is needed further appropriations
for the service of another season. i
In pursuance of the authority, conferred
by a resolution of the Senate Of the United
States passed on the Bird of March last, no.
tee was given to Denmark on the 18th
Apr. OF the intention of this government to
avail itself of the stipulation of the sub
sslng convention OF friendship, c,mmerce
and navigation between that kingdom and
the United States, Whereby either party might
after ten years, terminate the same at the ex.
piraton of one year from the date of notice
Tor that purpose.
The considerations, which lead me to call
the attention OF Congress To that Conven-
ton, and induced the S,nate to adopt the
resolution referred TO, still continue in full
force. The convention contains an article,
which, although il does not engage the Uni
ted States to submit to the imposition of
tolls on the vessels nnnd cargoes OF Amer.
leans passing into or from the Baltic sea, du.
ring the continuance OF the treaty, yet NAV,
by possibility, be construed as implying sub.
mission The exaction Of those tolls not
being justified by any principle of interna.
lional law, IL became the right and duty OF
the United States to reease themselves from
the implication Of engagement on tho sub.
iect, 50 rs to be perfectly free 10 net in the
in such II way as their public inter.
esis and honor shall demand. -s
remain OF the opinion that the United