The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-07-30
General Harvey.

Acat assaults Auauc Wy lac PASss upOb
this officer, and to the fact that his conduct
had been made the subject of disc ussion in the
House OF Commons. Ga one occasion, it will
be recollected, Lord JOHN RUSSELL, in reply
TO an in terrogatory, stated, upon the authority
Of Lord LYONS, that he either had been, or was
about to be, recalled. 1t is singular that none
of our newspapers have said any thing about
this measure, and that we should first be made
aware that it was in contemplation, or had
been carried out, by debate in the British
House of Commons. We are at a loss to I'M
derstand whether the order of recall, if it
really have any existence, be intended as a CEN
sure or not. Thus far, at least the Govern
ment, by its silence, seems to have approved
OF Gen. HIS conduct.
When Gen. SCoTT had concluded his pacific
arrangement for the joint occupation of the
IsIaEd, he wrote a letter to General HARVEY,
dated November 18th, 1859, in which he says
Intend ng at the first moment. to urge that the
two Lepartm MS on the Pacific should se thrown
back INTO one, a. d being aware oil your prefer
ence for that having 81. Louis as It's headquar-
tiers, have already su ggested to you a change.
ing the subject. .
II Aare no doubt that on, Of the ,greFmqi,nary
demands trhtch ptH be made By the Brif1Sh Cor
ernaneat up IN ours connection rtth your occh-
patton Of the Island Of san Juan. iclH 6s your
TGVlOtnE rom your pYtStNt coffHIHHd'
!" In such an Mt. IL BltgAt be great rsft9 to
| the President to find you. by your o'cA ae!, no
II make the suggestion from public corsdsra
| tions solely and have net received the slightest
hint TO that eff ct from WASHINGTON"
| General ScoTr then goes on TO give Gen HAIR
| NRY a conditional order to repair to ST. Louis,
| Mo, and assume the command Of the Depart
m ent of the West; but leaves it to his choice
| whether to obey the order, "te hrow 1t into
| the fire"
| Gen. HARVEY promptly ayailed himself OF
| the liberty allowed him of declining to obey
| :he order On the 18th November, 1859, he an
| swered Gen. SCoTT's letter, and, after quoting
| his own language replied as follows:
| "Tnrepy To this com munIcatIon of the General
in Chief, desire to inform him ara not disposed
| 10 comply 1Uih such an o'der. | do not heneve
| the President of the United states will be embar-
raised by auy action of the British GOVernme Mt N
| reference 10 San Juan Island nor can suppose
the President tr0n'd be pleased TO see me retHqt!h
| MiS command ~ any mdhHtr fhdt does OF pam
~ indicate his intentions tOfyards the phb!1c ser
| rice
These extracts are made from Senate Elk.
| Doc No. 10, lst session, Goth Congress. The
| italics are our own.
With this correspondence before him, lin
| which the issue to the propristy Of backing
| out before the British government could de-
| mand his expulsion, is firmly made by Gen.
| HARVEY, in response to Gen. SCOTS advice
| to that effect, the President could not but see
that HARVEY, by remaining at his post, in
| vited and challenged removal, If his conduct
| was disapproved ysth tcaS not renored OF re-
| called He teGs not eren reprimdaded or TsmOn-
| StrGtsd 1cith so far as 1ce haze heard d! He was
| left in command just as before Gen. SCoTT's
arrival on the Coast. And in tie message to
Congress, the President ntteTS tU0rd Of CEN
| sure Of Gen. HARVEY.
Nay, more, the merging Of The t1"o DEPART
| nasnts into one, suggested by Gen. SCoTT, be-
| ing Yehemently opposed by the people on the
| Pacific coast, w1s also Hssatirsd 5y the PrsSi-
! deat so that not even by that Side-ecit was
| HARNET to be Withdrawn from the stage.
| All this certainly looks like tacit approval
of his conduct.
AS to Gen. HARVEY, he is an entire stranger
to us. Bat We feel the same wish to see him
justly dealt by, that we would feel for any
other officer or private in the service of bis
country. And when we see such torrents Of
vile abuse poured out against him in the Eng
lish papers, raking up The foulest accusations
against his private character, and reyiying
scandals that went TO sleep thirty years ago
when we know that all this storm of malice Is
directed upon his head, only because he has
| stood up stoutly (suppose, even. that it has
been too st0utiy) for the lives and liberties OF
| Americans, and the jurisdiction of the United
States Government, we think it is time that
| the American papers should have something
| to say upon this question, and should Ell
| tighten their readers q little as to its merits
| AIore all think II is the duty Of or Gorern-
| n1snt TO sDsak ont! Let the President contra
| dict the Times and Lord JOHN RUSSELL il
| they do not tell the truth. If they dc tell the
| truth, let their words be confirmed, let Gen
| HARVEY be recalled, and give him the oppor-
tunity of meeting his accnsers. Whatever
faults may have been imputed to him. he has
never been thought backward to face danger
of any sort.