The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-12-08

every r1tional man In Americn. ana 81 - ~
6cdy Of every age and station ii Eoei6nds s
Perhaps Il II also the conviction of ~ vvild
banditsi who swarm upon our frontio9s, and
Of their nnprincfpled sympAihixerr, who ha-
bitualiy write MP war In the neWneapers and
spout war speeches In the towns. War fs.in.s
sympathies which bind rs together, rlxf pnj1
BY reason Of our common origin aud ulfr
closely tHtertwfned interesta, but afsO ~ ~ g
son OF the terrific character which eTefy pne
knows that such c4ptest must aseul6e a
war between England Ind America would be
almost civil war-the most bitter, the must
relentless, and the most cruel Of ali ware II
could be produced only by exaspcratfOn on
both sides arisen to the pitch Of = national
marked by an intensity Of passion which
would, as has happened inail civil wufe carry
the combatants beyond the influence of the or
finary courtesfes and moderatfons of 4 mere
NATIONAL contest. Notwithstanding any stipt
nlations that may have been made ia calm
moments, the commerce. Of both countries
would be the prey of rovers and pirates upon
every sea England's strength and England-s
treasure would be wasted In dis ex petitions
% destroy those glorious and peaceful achieve
nlents OF her own children which are now her
pride; our factories would be closed. and the
million and a-half of mouths dependent upon
them would be without Bread putting forth
in our anger all our strength. we should be
defenceless among our European neighbors
ana we should fail, at least for that time from
our place as equal among the greatest of the
great Powers of the world On the other side
# the Atlantic the spectacle would be one Of
~ least equal horror,--the fair ci les of the
Atlantic In flames, their commerce gone. and
their somewhat inflated system of commercial
credit rent; the swift strides Of that genius of
Improvement which wanders so resrlessly up
snn down. arrested; population destroyed; -
ruthiess war between slaves and masters raging
nioaxh na'f the land; bioodshed on the seas
and oioodshed on the land, and nothing grow
y1a afuar rpl hat froHS E.,r
tnd Asa would look on with surprise aud
axtOatiop, watching the parox ysms Of frenzy
among that terrible Anglo-Saxon race which
had seemed to monopolize the Almighty's per-
mission to go forth and people the earth: won
iering 70 zee that vast family, whose expan-
sion they had envied, whose industrial energy
hey had found it vain to emulate, whose
tree thoughts, waited over the world were
ever sowing themselves in uncongekial soils.
now engaged In the mad enterprise of des-
troying their common property and she'd
ding their own blood. These thoughts,
although unspoken, are present 10 every MUD
~ is they which produced that uuiyereai con.
victlon which pervades both countries, that an
event so disis tr0us and 50 purposeless could
never be worked out by reasoning beings.
This common belief however, has hitherto
heen followed by very different effects in the
wa countries. 1t has made England careful
of offence, long suffering, prone TO put the
oest Interpretation ON every act, eager always
10 believe that offensive words and offensive
iiretenslons occur from any 9TH motive ra-
ther than motive to give offence. We have
taken every thing from America, as the law
yers say, mifiori senSM. As IL was once held in,
our law courts, in obedience to this maxim,
that to call man 'a thiefs' was not slander-
Gus, because The word might have been inlend-
ed only TO mean that the gentleman was
sieaer OF fair ladies' hearts," SO we in our po-
iitieal and diplomatic interpretations have
twisted and distor led every thing which look
"a offensive into some less obvious but inEo-
cent meaning We have said to ourselves,
war rs impossible, and therefore we will not
suppose that our cousins intende 10 do any
thins which could force il upon u.s." On the
lther hand, the Americans have but too often
arrived At the opposite conclusion from The
same axiom. They seem TO have said, War
Is Impossible, therefore we may deal with our
mother as some not we'll famed folks deal with
women and clergymen,-imsuit her and ex-
tort from her with impunity.n This is far, we
7heertnlsv admit from being the feeling Of the
respectable portion of the great American peO-
IL the same classes in Europe; but the misior-
Fnne is, tf 1t this is the feeling which some
times prompts the national action. The Ameri-
can nation in its moments OF excitement is
like snake marking its prey; the middle part
OK the body is curved up out of ac ton, and in
the spring the head is forced forward entirely
by the action of the tail.
The other day a General Harney made him.
sell immortal by sending party TO invade a
British island, or, at any rate. an island in
British possession, aud regulated by an Eng
iish stice of the Peace. We however, were,
as usual. pacific and civil, and put the best
construction on the act, and asked for reasons.
Reasons were given, but as they were based
upon the invention of 4 fact which had never
happened, we, through our local Governor,
most ciyilly intimated thai they were not con-
ciuslve. General Harvey replied, in effect
mat ne accepted our apology, aud would con-
tinue his occupation Every mail now brings
US tidings of the enthusiasm OF the American
All for General Harvey; aud now it has been
shown that the reason assigned by him was
mere iabrication, all excuses are thrown aside,
ana the cry is. "The lsland of San ] uan is the
key TO the Gulf of Georgia; we wanted it. and
we were bound to have it,
There are some CONVICTIONS which work ont
their own trnth in practice, but there are 9TH
ers winch tend to their own practical re futa-
tlon. Wesincerely hope that the di fferent read
tngs oI the txIoia that wv ar be tween Europe
ana Americais impossible" may not be an IL
iustration OF this truth. The Island sof San
Juan Is not, ike preceding extortions, small
extorffon. 1t lies in a channel down the mid
die VI which the treaty declares that the FROM
tier line shall pass. 1t is six miles from the
BRUSH shore OF VancOuyer's Island. and thir-
~ from the American mainland. 1t Is within
full view of our city of Victoria, aud a fort
erected on San Juan would command the
channei through which our ships must pass
to all British Columbia. 1t is, therefore, obyi-
ousiy q British island, and il is as obviously
IN ,si important to ns that IL should remain So
Unless some very different title can be brought
forward from any that we have seen, we can
no more surrender it to America than we could
surrender the Isle of Wight, or the Isle OF
Dogs. 1t is with great satisfaction, then, we
hear that the question has not been left to be
ought out between General Harney and Gov
ernor Douglas, but that the sfasxs quo will he
maintained at San ] uan, aud the right to the
island solemniy and coolly discussed either
IN London or at Washington--LondoaT Times.
THE SAN JUAN DIrFrcULTY.-The following
is reported in Washington to be q memoran-
dunn of the proposition of Gen. Scott and the
reply OF Gov. Douglas, at the recent confer
ence in regard TO the San Juan affair:
The proposition submitted by Gen. Scott
was as follows:
without prejudice to the claim of either
nation to the sovereignty of the entire Island
Of San Juan, now in dispute, it is proposed
that each shall occupy Il separate portion VI
the same by detnchment OF infantry rifle
men, or marines, not exceeding one hundred
men, with their appropriate arms, only for
the equal protection Of their respective coun-
trymen on said island, in their persons and
property, and to repel any descent on the part
of hostile Indians"
Gen. Scott added in his note that any addi.
ion or modification suggested by Governor
Douglas would meet with respect. vi considera-
tl.bil.
Colonel Lay returned with the