The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-04-05

pick quarrel with friendly nation by accusing
its Envoy of conduct which any man, who aspires
to be recognized as a gentleman, would repu-
date as dishonorable-that it is notifying even
to admit the existence Of such o propensity
With regard to what has been said of Sir
WILLIAM GORE OUsELY, all has been sheer fabrica-
ton from beginning to end. 1t was stated that he
had held repeated interviews with Mr.. BUCHANAN,
In relation not only to the CLAYToN-BULwER
treaty, but to Central American affairs generally;
that he had made himself master Of the secrets of
the Administration, and that after playing the spy
he had still more grossly abused the confidence re-
posed in him by turning traitor. All this, we are
told by the Washington Union, is false. We have now
semi-offcial authority for saying that Sir WILLIAM
GORE OUsELEY, during his long residence at Wash
ington, ''never held any communication of any
'kind, with reference to Central American affairs
'either with the PRESIDENT or the SECRETARY OF
estate" that whatever was done, was done
through Lord NAPIER, as the accredited represen-
tative of the British Government, and that it
was Lord NAPIER, who, subsequently to the de-
parture of Sir WILLIAM GORE OUsELEY on his mis-
sion, impaired to the Government of the UNITED
STATES the substance of the instructions which Sir
WILLIAM had received. We learn, moreover, that
those instructions such were perfectly salts
factory to the Administration, inasmuch as they
were calculated 10 adjust amicably the points that
were open to dispute in the. CLAyroN-BuLwER
treaty. They involved the surrender to Mica
caragua of the Mosquito territory, and to Hondu-
ras of whatever claims Great Britain may have had
to the sovereignty of the Bay Islands. 1t formed
part of the mission of Sir WILLIAM GORE OUsELEY
to effect this transfer and we are assured by The
Union that the long-pending controversy, in re-
gard to the true construction of the CLAYToN-BUL-
WEIR treaty, is now in process of satisfactory ad-
justment From this it would appear that while
Great Britain has been acting in perfect good faith
towards us, and has evinced willingness to re-
move all causes Of difference upon those points in
the treaty which open TO an Interpretation ad
verse to that which we ourselves held, her mo-
tives have been msconstrued and her
Commissioner has been accused of first
winning the confidence of the PRESIDENT,
and then using the knowledge thus obtained to
promote the selfish interests of England in Central
America. If The Union speaks by authority-as
we presume it does-there has certainly been gross
injustice done in this matter, both to the British
Government and to Sir WILLIAM GORE OUsELEY
1t is but fair, however, to make due allowance for
the prejudices of letter writers and journalists,
and for the imperfect information upon which
their accusations have been based. But we cannot
help feeling that if The Union had made at an
earlier day, the plain, straight forward statement
it has recently published, much of the irritation
which has been occasoned by the reports it has
finally undertaken to refute, might have avoided
tardy defence of friend, or of friendly policy,
is but little better than no defence at ALL 1t indi-
Gates either imperfect perception of what by others
would be regarded as clear matter of duty, or
a half formed desire to sanction by silence the
general belief in the truth of allegations,
which might readily have been disproved
by few frank, manly, and generous words
And yet The Union, after retaining, during many
months, from doing justice to a friendly Power
coolly remarks that, "when the time shall arrive
for communicating to the public the correspon-
''dence in relation to the CLAYToN-BULwER treaty,
''they will be astonished, in this age of mis-
representation, at the falsehoods, which have
"been circulated in regard to this whole subject"
This may be all very we'll in its way; but whose
province was it to expose those fllsehoods, if not
that of the organ of the Government