Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-09-30
From the National InteIIigencer.
rhe New Difficulty and the Old.


We frequently obtain. through the trusted
newspaper correspondents smear cur Gov
erDment, glirnpses OF the views and scnti-
ments entertain, behind the curtain of State.
Such we feel at lii rty to so consider the fol-
lowing revelations of letter of Friday last
10 the Sun, and which, relating as it does to a
matter of much present interest, we venture
to use for the information of our readers:
The failure of Sir VIM. Gore Onseley to
fulfil his promises and those of his Govern
ment in respect to Central American affairs.
so as to give effect to The Clayton Bulwer
treaty, Is source Of deep disappointment 10 the
STATE Department, and may be ground for con-
sideraiion in connection with the san Juan
affair on the Pacific. When Great Britain
not only refuses compliance with her solemn
treaty stipulation not to hold. occupy or for
| tify any portion of Central America, but
| instead rather advances h. pretenisions there,
it may well be raid that we should not yield
possession OF an island whose title is freely
i spoken Of BIZ the President as rightfully with
u.s.. The ground taken by the State Depart
/ ment is, that the 49th parallel. or the line of
| the treaty of Utrecht. was the basis of agree
ment between us and Great Britain in 1876,
but as the legitimate extension of the line
cut off the southern extremity of the British
| island of Vancouver, we. in spirit of lber
! atty. DETECTED il southwaidly to give
| the entire island to En- gland. III rs held at the
State Department that this was the spirit of
| the agreement, and il was certainly the pub
\ lie UNDER landing at the time. That the
! channel hush up to Vancouver was meant
seems clear, not only from the causes of de-
1ecting the line. but from the fact that of
| the many channels for navigation of one sort
1 or another that would of course exist in so
broad body of water as the Gulf of Gcor
| gia, the channel of Haro, at the date of the
negotiation of The treaty, was the only one
much used or known.
Since then one of inferior character to the
! east of it has been used by reason OF the gold
discoveries near it. 1t may also be urged
| that the fragments of land or islands consti-
tuting an archipelago in the Gulf OF Georgia
| naturally atiac TO the main land, and not to
/ the island of Vancouver. Ii will be remem-
| bered that Mr.. Buchanan is not responsible for
| the treaty of 1876, since that il was negntia-
/ ted upon terms advised by the Senate, which
| were that the line OF the treaty of Utrecht
as offered by Sir Robert Peel. should be the
| basis OF arrangement"
| This letter suggests one or two remarks
| Although we do not. in general. like to see
| our military commanders on distant frontier
posts assuming, without very urgent conside
| ratiOns, responsibilities which may leopard
the peace of the country; yet. unless all the
maps we have had access to are grossly mac
curate, it would appear TO us highly probable
| That The Island OF San Juan. III the Stralb ol
| Haro, properly falls within the American
boundary. and that Gen. Harvey could not
| consistently with strict duty, permit it to be
takend undispute possession of 10y the British
| troops or agents. Any hostile step, how
ever, beyond asserting the right of joint oc-
| cupation of the disputed island, would be
| responsibility vastly more questionable. No
such step, we hope has been taken by the vet
| eran and brave officer commanding our
| troops on that station. The writer of the let
ter, we presume. in saying that MIR. Buchan-
an is not responsible for the tr' atty o! 1916.
since it was negotiated upon terms '0dUised'
| by the Senate" does not mean to say that
Mr.. Buchanan did not approve Of the line of
boundary established by the treaty of 1916.
| 1t was understood at the time that although
| our executive Mr.: Polk being Presidency in
the outset cOntended for the line of fifty
| four forty" yet they instructed our Minister
| in England and advised their leading friends
in the Senate 10 accept "forty nine"