Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1860-01-06

. of collision between the arlies was appr,
{ hended . The British had a large nav,
y tprce inrthe vicinity and it Is but an az
t Of simple Justice to the Admiral ON that sta
a ton to state that no wisely asd discreet
D forbore to commit any hostile act, but de
d sermined to refer the whole affair to hi
Q government aud await their Instructions. ;
\ The aspect of the matter, in my "pini"r
8 demanded serious attention. 1t would hav
been great calamity for both nations ha
n they been precipitated in'O acts OF hostii y
!, not on the question of title t" the island
: but merely concerning what should be il
) condition during the intervening peri"'
. willis: tho two gpvernm nts might be EN-
? ployed in settling the question To which u
. them it belongs. For this reason Lieut.
! General Scott was dispatched on the It'd
r Septembe Der last to Washington Territory Il
: take immediate command Of the Unitct
l States forces on the Pacific coast shuuld h'
deem this necessary. The main object o
his mission was to carry out the spir o
the precautionary arrangement batweer
the late Secretary Of State and the Britisl
Minister, md thus to preserve the peace ant
prevent collision between the British ant
AuGi iC'lu uuttoIiVSS pChHihS WV heSoh"
tion between the two governments. Enter.
tanning no doubt of the validity If our title
need scarcely add that, in any event, Amer
| car citizens were to be placed on footing
ut least US favorable rs that # Br ti,h sub
jeots, it being understood that Captain Pick
cts company should remain on Tho island
{ is proper to observe that, considering the
distance from the scene of action, and in
| OR uhat, min hnv trlu ir..I
the spot before the Generals arrival, it was
necessary to leave much to hi discretion,
and l am happy to state the event has
proven that this discretion could not have
been entrusted to more competent hands.
his mission, having successfully accom,-
pished its object, and there is no longer
any good reason to apprchend collisio,
be ween the forces Of the two countries
during the pendency of the existing nego-
tiatioEs.
| regret to inform You that there has been
no improvement in the affairs of Mexico
since my last annual message, and am
again obliged to ask Tho earnest arteation Of
Congress to the unhappy condition Of that
repnbic. sg
| lue COnStLueut \ouXIcsS VI MtAiC', WHICH
adjourned on the l7th of February, 1857,
adopted Il constitution and provided for
popular election. This took place in the
following July QS57. and General Comon-
fort was chosen Presidcn, almost without
opposition. AT the same election new
Congress was chosen, whose first session
commenced on the 10Th of September,
! 1857. BY the constitution Of 1857, tn
Presidential term was to begin on the lst OF
December, 1857, and continue for four
years. Oa that day. General Comnnfort
appeared before tho assembled Congress, in
ths city of Mexico, took the oath to support
the new constitution, and was dnly unusu
rated us President. Within month after
wards lie had been drivea from the capital,
and n military rebellion had assigned the
supreme power of the republic to General
Zu oaga. The constitution provided that in
the absence OF the President his office should
devolve upon the Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court, and Gen. C,moIf,rt having
left the untry. this functionary, General
Juarez. proceeded to torn, at Guiana ajuaI.:,
constitutional government. Before this wa
officially known, however, at The capital, the
government of Zuloaga had been recng lied
by the entire diplomatic Corps, inciudlng
he Minister of the United States, us the de
fdct0 government of Mexico. The cnnsltu
lional President, nevertheless, maintained
his position with firmness, and was soon
e>tabli hid with hs cabinet at V ra Cruz.
VI .anwhic the government of Zuloaga Was
earnestly resisted In many part, If the
rerublic, and even in the capital, p rt N
of the army having pronounced against it, it.
functions were declared term, lted, aud an
assembly of citizens was invited for the
choice of u new President. This asseI bly,
elected Gen. Miramon, but that officer repu
diate The plan under which he was chosen
and Zuloaga was thus restored to his previ
GUS position. lie assumed il, however, uni,
withdraw from it, and MiranInn having
bee me by his appointment president
Sub'titue,' continues, with that title, at
the head of the insursenr party.
| In my last annual me.sage communion
ted to G. ngress the circumSt ances under
shc, the late Minister OF the United St,te
sus pended his official relations with the cen
lral government, and Withdrew from ,he
country. 1t was impossible tn main ain
| friendly intercourse with government, like
| that at the capital, under whose u>urped au-
thort. wrongs were constantly committed
Drt never re dressed, Had this been an es
tending by the consent OF the people, over
the whole Of Mexico, q resort to ho,,ili:ie,
ag inst it would have been quite jl>tihuble
and indeed necessary. But tile country was
IL prey to civil war; and it was hoped that
the success of the constitute onal President
might lead 10 y condition of thing. less in
jurons 10 the United States. This success
became SO probable that, in January lasr,
employed II reliable agent to visi Mex'c,,
| and report to me the actual condition and
prospects of the conten.iing parties. III
consequence of his report, and from infor-
nation which reached mo from other urc-
es favorable to the prospects OF the cons;itu
tional cause, | felt justified in appointiag L
Il new minister to Mexico, VIII, might en-
brace the earliest suitable oppor unity ot1re-
storing our diplomatic relations with thai
republic. For is purpose stneuished
citizen IL Maryland WAS selected, who pro-
c, e,led on this ,nis>i N On the 9th Of March
last, with discretionary authority TO recog
nize the q verninent OF President Juarez, II
on his arriValain Mexico he should find IL
entitled to such recognition aeco' ding ~ the
established practice of the United otates
On tile h of April following Mr. McLane'
Ipresented his credentials 10 President Juar-l
ez, having noshesitation ''in pronpuncing the
government OF Juerez to bs the only existing
government of the republic" He wa, cor.
daily received by the authorities at Vera
Cruz, and they haye ever since manifested
tho mos .triendy dsp,sition toward. the
United States. Unl,appily, however the c,n
>titutional government has not 1,eei atie to
establish its power over the whole Itepub-
lic. 1t supported by large majority OF
he people and the states, but ere are i'm
lpor,ant parts of the eountry where it eah
! enforce no eheti'snee:
General Miramon maintains himself at the
capital ;, and in some Of the distant provinces
there are, military governors who pay little
\ respect to the DEGREES of either government
In the meantime. the excesses which always
attend upon civil war, especially in Mexico,
are constantly recurring. Outrages Of, The