The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-06-01
BALTIMORE.
TUESDAY, JUNE |, 1858.

Tn the Senate of the UNITED STATES, on Satur-
day, there was ''great cry and little WOOL" Talk
and nothing but talk has, thus far, been the only
result of all the indignation excited in this country
by the insolent proceedings of the British cruisers
the Gulf of Mexico. Senator Mason offers string
of resolutions in affirmance of general principles,
which nobody doubts and which have been affirmed
and re-aflirmed any time these fifty years by sue
cessive generations of American statesmen. Sena-
tor TooMBs who announced his readiness to whip
Great Britain, more than week ago, and who has
been spelling for fight ever SINCE continues i'm
placabe and refuses to be appeased until 'the ag-
gressors upon our rights have either been fsunk"
or otherwise brought to ''condign punishment -
The usually pacific Mr.. HALE regards the acts of
the British cruisers as "begerent in their charac-
ter" and says that they Fought to be resisted by
the power, and not refuted by the logic of the
country" Mr. MALLORY thinks that the Secretary
of the Navy should have given orders for our ships
to find out who have been firing into our vessels
and catch the offenders, and bring them home for
merited punishment. Mr. WILSON embodies
his views, in resolution authorizing the Pres
DENT eto employ the naval force of the UNITED
"the recent ourages, with instructions to cap
"ture the ships which have committed or
(which may commit these belligerent acts. -
Mr.. HAYNE admires the character of OLIVER
CROMWELL and ANDREW JACKSON, and has every
confidence in gallant Navy. Mr.. DOUGLAS
"can see no use in these resolves, but thinks his
own bill ''to restrain and redress outrages upon
the flag and citizens of the UNITED STATES is an
eminently wise and practical measure and all
that is needed TO meet the present or any future
emergency. He also suggests that it would be
good plan 'for one of our ships-ofwar to get upon
the track of the Styr any other British vessel
that has been committing these outrages, follow
her, capture her. make prisoners of all on board
and bring the vessel into an American port to
answer for the offence Thus thought and spoke
or at least, spoke Saturday last, these Honora-
BILE Senators, but Just as the debate was at its
height and the war-fever was raging most furious
ly in Senatorial veins, the hour arrived for the
special order of the day, which Senator MASON
made an Intellectual attempt to have postponed,
and the Senate accordingly proceeded to the con-
sideration of other matters. In the meanwhile,
it would be well for Senators to remember that the
whole available naval force at the disposal of the
PRESIDENT, and which with commendable prompt
ness has been at dispatched to the Gulf, con-
sists of eight vessels carrying in ALL one hundred
and thirty-nine guns. The British squadron, at
present in the West Indies, consists of seventeen
vessels, carrying three hundred and fifty-seven
guns. OF the eight American vessels, one is the
Water WITCH a small paddle-wheel steamer,
of Pdrana memory; a second is the Arctic,
f,,1>
is eight miles an hour, and a third is q rotten old
four-gun brig called the Dolphin, picked up in the
Charlestown Navy Yard. OF the seventeen Eng
fish vessels one is the Indus, rs; a second is the
Indum, 70; and a third, the Cun6erlaad To-
With such odds against them, our vessels are ex-
pected ''to sink capture the aggressors upon our
rights" in order to satisfy the Unsuitable thirst for
vengeance of the terrible Mr.. TooMBs and Ito
bring home for condign punishment the whole
British squadron, in order to meet the abstract
views OF justice entertained by other Honorable
Senators. By way of further illustrating our
present state of preparation for maritime war; we
may add that the exigencies of the Mormon rebel
lion, and of the Kansas and Indian troubles have
so completely stripped the Atlantic seaboard of
Government troops, that at the present moment.
Maine to Texas IS gedd 66 Sss fsafh aagt d 2m
dred men, force wholly insufficient to garrison a
single fortress. In view these facts, would it not
be well for Honorable Senator's before they de-
clare war against England, TO make some provi-
sion for the efficient prosecution of that war?
few ships and few soldiers might be found very
useful, in the event of actual hostilities between
this country and Great Britain Not that we APP
DrnInn hat h.,
tons to the contrary and our anticipations of a
peaceabe settlement of the present difficulties,
we have already expressed That confidence
is based however, we are free to confess upon
the supposition that the steps taken by our
own Government to compel cessation and to
prevent repetition of British outrages upon our
flag and commerce, will be of that earnest and de-
cided character as to leave no room for doubt in
the minds of the British Ministry and people, that
persistence on their part in the enforcement of
the odious Right of Search against American YES
sells will inevitably lead to war. Let the English
Government once understand that fact, and what
we predicted yesterday to be the most likely upshot
of the present troubles, will be sure to follow
The acts of the cruisers will either be wholly dis
avowed, or, the orders under which they have
been proceeding will be promptly revoked. To
bring about this desirable result, however, there
needs proper display of determination and vigor
on our own part. If Honorable Senators wish
the Styr to be caught, and brought home ''for
condign punishment" they must furnish the means
of catching her, and if Mr.. TooMBs wants the Eng
fish cruisers to be 'sunk he must provide for the
purpose, metal more ponderous even than his own
speeches. Fleets and regiments, not resolutions,
are what the PRESIDENT wants, and what the people
are willing to give. A judicious increase both of
the Army and Navy, is what the PRESIDENT recon-
mended in his Message, and what recent occurrences
have demonstrated to be absolutely necessary for
the proper defence of our frontiers and of our sea-
coasts, and of the lives and property of our citizens,
in border-settlements, and on the high seas