Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1860-01-05

American seized his rife, and told Mr.. Dalles it
any such attempt was aide he would kill him
on the spot The afftir then ended"
Under these circumstances the American
settlers presented a petition to the General,
g through the United States Inspector of
Customs, Mr.. Hubbs, to place force upon the
island, to protsct them from the Indians as we'll
as the oppressive interference Of the authorities
of the Hudson Bay Company at Victoria with
their rights as Am erican citizens" Tie Cen
eral Immediately responded to this petition and
ordered Clpt. George e. Pickett, Och Infantry,
''tO establish his company on Bellevue, or Sln
Juan Island, on s0m) suitable position near the
harbor at th3 southels extremity" This
order WAS promptly ob,ye1, and military post
established at the plaza d9sgn1tsd. The force
was afterwards increased, 50 that by thu last 70.
turn the whole nunhr Of troops thon on the
island amounted in tina aggregate to 69l
men.
Whilst do not deem it proper on the present
occasion co 90 further into tn, subject, and
discuss the weight which ought to be attached
to the staten ,nts oftha British colonial author-
ties, contestIng the accuracy of the inf3rmstion
on which the gallant G,nerll a,tol, it WIS due
to him that should thus PRESENT his own
reasons for issuing the order to Ciptain Pickett
From these it Is quite clear his object was to
prevent the British authorities on Vancouver's
Island from exercising jurisdiction over Ameri-
GIN r9sid ,nts on thu island Of SIN Juan, as w1ll
as to protect than against thu incursioas Of the
Indians
Much excit,m mt prevailed for som, tim)
throughout that region, and serious dIng3r Of
collision between the parties WAS apprehen1ad.
Tne British had a large naval force in the vicin-
ty; and it is an act of simple Justice to the
admiral on that station to state that he wisely
and disoIaety forb)re to commit any hostile act
bat determined to refer the waoe aGLir TO his
government, and awIit ther instructions.
This aspect of thu m sttsr in my opinion,
dem sndad serious attention. It would have been
a great calamity for b)th nations had they been
pr9cipitlted into acts Of hostility not on the
question Of title to the island, bat merely con.
corning what should b. its condition, during the
intervening period whilst the two governments
might b EN- poy9l in s,ttling tho question to
which of them it belongs. For this reason
Lieutenant General Scott was dispatched on the
18th September last to Washington Territory,
to TIKI mn,1iats command of the United
Stst9s fjrc9s on thu Pacific Gust, should he
deem this necessary.
The min object Of his mission WIS to carry
out tho spirit of tn, precautionary arrang 'ment
between the late Secretary of Stato and the
British and American authorities pending the
Negotiations b1tw39n the two governments. En-
tertaining no doubt of the validity of our title,
[ need scarcely add that, in any event, Am ,rican
citzens were to be PLACID on f)oting at least
as favorable as TINT Of British subjects, it being
understood that Captain Plckett's Company
should remlin on the island. 1t is proper to
observ3 t1lt, c)nsid ,ring the distance from the
scene of ASTON, and in ignoranc, Of what might
; have trI1spral on the spot b9fJra thu Generals
arrival, it WIS n3,3sslry tc l9lva mach to his
discretion, All an happy to state thu event
has proven Tint this discretion could not have
entrusted to moro COMPETENT hands. Gan. Scott
has recently returned from his mission, having
successfully accomplished its objects, and there
is no longer any god r9ason to approh1 md a
collision between the forces of the two countries
during the panlonoy Of tn, existing n3sptia-
tions.
rYgr,5 ID i1fjrn you thlt th,r3 hts b9on no
improvement in thu afflirs of MYxic) sine. my
lat ann1sl m,ssag,, and | AM obliged to ask
thu ernest attention of Congress t) the I'M
happy c)n lition Of that R9plblic
Tn3 constituent Congress of Msxico, which
On bu5 lUu Oh IOOi ,
adopted constitution and provided for pop.
ulsr elect)l This to)k place in the following
July Q85T and G9n. C)m )nbrS WAS chosen
, president almost without opp >stion. At the
, thu sams election n9w Congress was chosen,
September, 1857. By the Constitution Of 1857
tbs Presin9ntial term was to begin on the LIST of
t D.cemb,r, 1857, AMI continue for four years.
, ~ shat dor l,n N,oo ,ncN onn1lrll Afnro
the assembled C)ngr3ss in the City Of Mexico,
t)ok the oath to support the nav constitution,
= and was daily inlugurlt9d as President
, Within m)nth afterwards ho had b3en driven
: from the capital, and military r9b,lllon had
4 assigned the supr9ms power of the republic to
Con- Zlloagl. Tns constitution provided that
lie thu absence Of the President, his ofca should
dsvovs upon tn, Caief Justice of the Supreme
= C)urt and Gan. CJm1nfort having left the
5 country, his functionary, Gen. Juarez proceeded
o to FORM at Guiana uato, a constitutional govern
: ment.
n Before this was officially known, hIwaver, al
0 the clpital, the government Of Zllolga had
baen recognized by tho entire dplom ltic corp
: including the Minister Of tho United States, a;
$ the de fdctO government of Mexico. Tao Con.
stitutioual President, nevertheless, m Iintained
Y his p Isitio1 with frmness, and was soon estab
: lishel with his Clbinet at Vera Cruz. Mean
+ while, the governm of zaloaga was earnestly
r resisted in many parts of the republic, and ever
} in the capital, a portion Of the army having
pronounced against it, its functions were declar
J. ed terminated, and an assembly of citizens wa
h invited for the choice Of new President. Thi
l. assembly elected Con- Mir1mon, but that Office
IS rdpudiated the plan under which he was chosen
% and Zuloaga was thus restored to his previou