New-York daily tribune., 1858-04-23

A motion is pending in the Senate of the United
States based on a report the Committee on For
eign Relations, to give the President discretionary
authority to deal with Paraguay in the matter of
her refusal to make reparation for firing into the
Water-Witch. This motion is understood by some
Senators as amounting to declaration of war
against Paraguay, and it certainly has much
the aspect of proposing to do in South America, in
the case of small and weak nation, that which
at the same time our Government refuses to do as
against China.
In point of exclusiveness and dislike and distrust
of foreigners Paraguay may indeed be set down as
a sort of American China. Though far removed
from the ocean, and in the very heart, as 1t were,
of the South American continent, that ioland
country still accessible from the sea by the rivers
La Plata and Parana of which the latter,
in the upper part ofits course, separates Paraguay
fromlCorrlentes on the south and Brazil on the
east, while the River Paraguay, tributary of the
Parana, but still river of the first class, washes its
western border and separates it from the upper
provinces of the Argentine Confederation, of which
it was itself once claimed as forming part The
River Paraguay, Is has lately been ascertained,
is naygable for steamers for the whole distance
that it forms the boundary of the State of Para
quay, and even beyond into the territories OF Brazil
which bound Paraguay on the north as well as on
the east But though thus navigable, that river has
hardly yet been used for the purpose of commerce.
except very limited internal trade with the cities
Of Buenos Ayres and Monteyideo Both
the Spanish colonial policy and the
system of administration established BY the Jesuts
who, down TO the year l7o7, were the lords and
rulers of Paraguay, were based on the idea of a
Jealous exclusion Of strangers; nor was this trad
tionary system of policy at all modified 50 far as
Paraguay was concerned by the revolution which
commencing in 1910, deprived Spain of its domin-
ions in South America. DR.. Francia who from
having been chosen Consul in 1872 became Dictator
of Paraguay two years afterward succeeded to all
the arbitrary authority formerly exercised by the
Spanish officials, adherng, among other things, no
less vigorously than they had done to the policy Of
excluding foreigners the savant BoEpand,
the companion of Humboldt who had ventured
into Paraguay and suffered in consequence q
long detention, found to his cost. Upon the death
of frSDcld IN lc4u, III Tue du' auCcu age vi Ct tuc
control of the government passed into the hands of
Carlos Antonio Lopez, who still rules with the title
and authority of President for life. The new Gov
erument was supposed to be less exclusive in its
policy than Francis had been, but so long as Rosas
held the government of Buenos Ayres he took sd.
vantage of his command Of the mouth of the La
Plata to cut off all commercial intercourse on the
part of other nations with the countries watered BY
that river aud its tributaries.
After the downfall of ROsas in 1852, the naylga-
ton of these rivers was declared free to foreign YES
sells Of less than hundred and twenty tuns and the
independence of Paraguay being acknowledged for
the first time, that country became accessible
TO traders from Europe and the United States.
But the traditonary 7olicy of exclusiveness
seems still to influence the Government. A Mr..
Hopkins, who represented company formed in
Rhode Island, to introduce steam navigation on the
| Paraguay, for the purpose of exchanging Ameri-
can manufactures for the produce Of the county,
and who was also appointed United States Consul,
SO far from finding favor with toe Government. fol-
under their disp!easuro and was obliged to leave