Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-12-21
60, .u.r;,.r and Mexican Questions.

! IN England n:id SPAIN.
THE AFFAIR OF THE STE iNER WAshiAuloN
WASHINGTON, December lG
The message from the President, sent to the
, House on Wednesday. in answer TO rcsolu-
ton of inquiry, was ordered to be printed yes
ter,iay without having been read at length
The communication merely gives the facts, as
furnished from the State and Navy Depart
ments Secretary Cass sends letter from Mr.
Dodge, our Minister at Madrid in which II Is
stated that Spain refuses the mediation oil ing
land in her Mexican quarrel. Numerous en-
tracts arc also given from the correspondence oi
Mr.. Dallas and from the Spanish Secretary t"r
Foreign Affairs. The most important oil thcSc
documents is letter from Mr.. Dallas 10 VT.
Cass reporting the substance OF conversation
he had with the Earl of Malmsbury, his Lord
shin inviting the interview. lie was aware
that Mr.. Dallas letters for Washington would
oo forward on the 9th OF November, and he
wished Mr. Dallas to convey in them some re.
marks from him. First-Lord Napier had
communicated to the President the treaty ne
cotiatcd 10y Sir Gore Ousclcy with the Minis
ter from Nicaragua. 1t was believed that no
objection was expressed to its provisions. One
oc its objects was to terminate the Musquito
Protcctoratc. Sccond--Sir Gore OuSclcy was
BY this time at Nicaragua and would exert
himself to obtain ratification Of the treaty. in
doing which it was Indispensable that he should
be protected by the presence Of naval force
from any violence mcdltatelby the iiilbuStcr>.
He had, however. been much surprised at
the contents of recent letter from Lord Na-
pier, which stated that Gen. CasS considers
that the orders issued for the protection of Sir
Gore Ouslcy to be incompatible with the Clay
ton Bulwcr treaty. These orders were to the
effect that if the government OF Nicaragua re-
Quircd for their defence from iillibuStcrs, the
active intervention of military power. Sulta-
bic armed force was to land. seize the oilen-
ders and hand them over, If American to the
nearest authority OF the United States, and
having done this, to retire Immediately. He
could not understand why such proceedings
should be regarded asa violation of that article
Of the treaty, which intcrdicted Occupation
and dominion especially as Il clause in the
Cass-Irsarri treaty-with which this govern
ment found no fault, but, on the contrary, de-
sired to sec eiected--provided for exactly the
same sort Of temporary assistance.
l, was impossible to allow their diplomatic
representative TO have his object cut short by
marauderS. When the treaty was disposed of
there would be an end of their interference. -
Thus far as to Central America.
Fifth-In regard 10 Mexico, he described
Spain rs extremely irritatcd by the crueltieS
inflicted upon SpaniardS. and as threatening to
send feet to punish and exact redress. Eng
land, however, had successfully persuaded de-
law. Mexico was in so distracted n condition
that it could scarcely he said to have reSpon-
siblc Government England had herself been
grossly outraged in the person Of Mr.. Hanson,
whose treatment could best be resented. in the
opinion Of the law officers Of the crown, by
British fleet being sent TO Tampico Her Ma
esty's Government, however, was avcrSc 10
any strong measure. which might make things
worse than they really are, and severity would
probably fall upon the innocent.
II was difficult to say what result the disor
dercd state Of Mexico must lead To- il the ma
tons interested in her veil being iorbcar To in
tcrIrrc.
Mr.. Dallas saws My So,ic;;udciu this mar
rativc has been to give the leading ideas Of Lord
Mamsburv OF course he was not unircqucnt'
" interrupted by comments from myself, which
led to collateral explanations. Among other
things. remarked that the provision in the
Cass.lriSarri treaty, which seemed To me rather
to carry on. than to violate the Clayton-Buwcr
treaty. by securing for all equally safe and I'M
interrupted transit, was essentially differ
cnt in lis character. fromth Admiralty orders,
which. amid the struggles OF parties Ieti To the
discretion Of naval officers whom to recognize
as the de Jocfo government of Nicaragua and
whom to dcnouncc. for British pursuit and dis.
pcrsion, aS iilbusterS. If the popular party, now
in motion. acquired strength. their alvcr>ar;cS.
would. as a matter of course brand them with
that odous name and call Tor British s'Iccor,
thus installing foreign troops TO settle the po-
litical dcst!nicS Of the country.
That was consequence To which the Prc>i-
dent and people of the United States could not
be supposed to he inScnsflc, which Of all things
was most rcpugnant to the spirit and terms of
the Clavton-Bul yer treaty. and which could
not possibly follow from the application. as con-
tcmplated bv Gen. Ca>s. Of merely such tenn
porary force as might he thought by Nicaragua
herself necessary to keep the transit route
open for common convenience. He insisted
that both landings in the two cases were
equally right or equally wrong He esteemed
them TO bc right and certainly any attempt by
flibuStcrs to defeat the operations Of Sir ouscly
would be put down.
Il also incidentally remarked that regretted
that his Lordship had expressed some leaning
in favor of NJ. Bellv's PROJECT. He disclaimcd
having done So NJ Belly was pa,ronSci mel.
Their By England nor France. He was a spccu-
lating aivcnturcr. 1t was immatcrial by whom
the work Of opening the transit route was
effected If any Of the citizens of the United
States held an uneXpired Or unforfcited con-
tract he would be entitled to 90 on. He was
not intimate with the merits Of the several
claimants to contracts.
Again. in the course OF the interview re-
fcrred to- with probably an obvious feeling to
the alleged Joint note" addressed by the
French and British Ministers to our Govern
mcnt. respecting N. Bclly's contract lie
promptly and cmphaticallv denied that any
thing of the sort had been written or ever con-
tcmplated The rumor of the morning, coming
direct from Paris, was advcrtcd to-that the
Anglo French fleet had orders 10 proceed to the
Gulf Of Mexico. That rumor. he said, had
lowered the funds. but was nevertheless utterly
destitute Of foundation.
Il can perceive that the discovery Of the gold
en- land in Fraser river, leading to the creation
Of new colony in British Columbia, has in
creased the solicitudc COR isthmian routes Of
transit. In other respects the pacific disposi
tons Of this Government 20 not appear to have
changed
Lord Malmsbury several times remarked that
it was best to accomplish one aim at time
That the dlsrelishcd protcctorates Of the Mos
quito was finally disposed Of in Sir Williams
treaty That as soon az an English guarantee
was applied to the Niclraguan route, capital,
science and labor would hasten to accomplish
the work however formidable it appeared.
IL hare the honor to be, etc
(Signed) 6. NJ DALLAS.
Next follows aprivate note from Lord Napier
to Mr. Cass, marked private, in reply to pri-
vate note Of the latter.
After quoting (sec above, "First-That Lord
Napier had communicated &c.. Lord Napier
SAYS that he conceived that what the Earl Of
Malmcshury intended Z, convey to Mr. Dallas