Des Arc weekly citizen., 1867-12-21

year new postal conventions have been ratified and exchanged with the United Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ire land, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzer- land, North German Union, Italy, and the colonial Government at Hong Kong, reducing very largely the rates of ocean and land postage to and rom and within those countries.
 LEGAL TENDERS.
 On the 25th of February, 1862, Con- gress declared by law that Treasury notes without interest, authorized by that act should be legal tender in pay ment of all debts, public and private, within the United States. An annual remittance of thirty thousand dollars, less stipulated expenses, accrues 10 claimants under the convention made with Spain i'll 1881. These remittances since the passage of this act has been paid in such notes. The claimants in- sist that the Government ought to make payment in coin. The subject may be deemed worthy of your consideration.
 BRITISH CHAINS.
 No arrangements have as yet been reached for the settlement of our claims for British depredations upon the com
 
 | felt it my duty to decline the proposi- | ton for arbitration made by her ma - | jcsty's government, because it has hitherto been accompanied by reserva- | tions and humiliations incompatible with the rights, interests, and honor of our country. isIt is enot to be appge- hended that Great Britain will persist | in her refusal to sats these just and | reasonable claims, which involved the sacred principle of non-ntcrvention, a principle heneeforth not more impor- tant to the United States than to all other commercial nations. The West 1 India Islands were settled and colon ! ized by European States simultaneous Ely with the settlement and colonization of the American continent. Most of the colonies planted here became inde- tpenGent nations. In the close of the last and beginning ofthe present cen tury, our own country embraced com munities which at one period were col- onies Of Great Britain, France. Spain, Holland. Sweden and Russia. The people in the West Indies, with the ex- l ception or the Island of Hayti. have neither attained nor aspired to inde- l pcudence, nor have they become pre-
 
 sing considerable commercial value. They have been held by several Euro pean States, which colouized and at the same time eonGnered them, chiefly for the purpose of military and naval strategy in carrying cnt European pol icy and designs in regard to this con- tinent. In our Revolutionary war the ports and harbors in the West India { I,in l,r | t., hs great injury and embarrassment of us. T We had the same experience in our se- cond war with Great Britain.
 The same European policy for long time excluded Us even from the trade with the West Iudies, while we were at peace with all nations. In our re- cent civil war the rebels and their pi- ratical and blockade allies found facilities in tho same ports for the work which they too successfully ac. complished of iniurine and devastating the commerce which we are now en. gagged in rebuilding. We laborcd es. peoially under this disadvantage That European steam vessels. employed by our enemies, found a friendly shelter protection and supplies in West Indian ports, while our own naval operations were necessarily carried on from oul own distant shores. There was then a universal feeling of a want of an nd. vaneed naval outpost between the At lantic coast and Europe. The duty oi obtaining such an outpost peacefully and lawfully while neither doing noi mcnacing injury to other States, ear nestly engaged the attention of the Ex- eoutive Department until the close oi the war, and it Eas not been lost sight f, Of since that time. A not entirely dis similar naval want revealed itself dur. ing the same period on the Paciti coast. A toothold there was fortunate ly secured by our late treaty with tho Emperor of Russia. and 1t now seems imperative that the more obvious nc. cessities of the Atlantic coast should r not be less carefully provided for A good and convenient port and har- bor capable of easy defense, will sup ply that want. With possession oi such station by us. neither we nol any other American nation need long CT apprehend injury or oifense from any trans Atlantic enemy, l agree f with our early statesmen that the West Indies naturally gravitated to, and may be expected intimately, to be absorbed bv the Continental States including oul own agree with them also that it is wise to leave the question of absorp- ton to the process of natural pelitical grayitation. Tine islands of St. Ihoma, and St. Johns, which constitute n DOT .tion of the group called Virgin Islands seemed to offer us advantages imme' diately desirable, while their acquisi, ton could be secured in harmony witt the principles to which have .ftuded 4 treaty has, therefo.-. peen concluded with t.,,tc Hing of Denmark for the ces sion Of those islands and will bc sub mitted to the Senate for consideration It will hardly be necessary to edith attention of Congress to the subject O. providing for the payment to Russia o the sum stipulated in the treaty for tho cession of Alaska. Possession having been formally delivered to our Com. missioner. the territoryremain for tho present in care of military force awaiting such civil organization as shal be directed by Congress.
 The annexation of many small Ger. N man States to Prussia, and the reorgan. ization of that country under new and liberal constitution have induced mo to renew the effort to obtain a just and prompt settlement of the long vex- ted question concerning the claims oi foreign States for military service from their subjects naturalized in the United States. In connection with this sub- ieet the attention of Congress is re- spectiully called 10 singular and eln- barrassing eonfiict of law. The Execu- tive Department of this Government has hitherto uniformly held as it no " holds that naturalization, in conforiaity with the Constitution and the laws of the United States ahsolyes the recipient from hisnative allegiance. The Courts of Great Britain hold that allegiance to