Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-02-01

letter from Amsterdam in February, 1881 ."This
nation 1.-THE Dutch,) is now aattering itself with
the hopes of peace with England.) Alasi
There will be no such thing. There must fly a
great many cannon balls first The pride, the
sef-conceit, the vanity of that people is infinite.
Nine in ten Of that whole people firmly believe
themselves able to fight and beat all the mari
time powers ofthe world. They think of nothing
but drowning Misunderstanding the whole Rus
sian, Danish, and Swedish feets-eXhaust-
ing the finances of France and Spain--and
above all, of Americans loving, admiring and
adoring them so much as very soon humhly to
implore their Kin. to take them under his gTa-
eious protection once more, without even max
ing condition." Which contamination, he
intimates, wonld not suit his views Indeed, he
asserts in another letter his personal preference
TO be hanged BY the neck until he is dead, first.
He further imparts his views of a fitting diplo-
matte line to adopt towards them, to Mr.. John
JAY, in August 1882 in these words: "rhere is
but one way TO negotiate with Englishmeu, and
that is clearly and decidedly; their fears only
govern them If we entertain an idea of their
generosity or benevolence towards us, we are
undone. They hate us universally from the
throne to the foot-stOol. The pride and vanity
of that nation is disease-it is delirium."
A specimen of the style of dealing here recon-
mended, as practced by John Quincy Adams
the lecturers grandfather, then secretary of
state, is thus related:
But | will give you n somewhat suggestive
conversation which an American secretary of
state had upon kindred topic, in the state de-
partment In Washington In the year 1924, tith
Mr.. Stratfurd Canning, the English minister.
Now the Mr.. Canning of that day was none
other than the Lord Stafford de Radcliffe whose
brazen bullying of the Ottoman Porte at Con-
stantinople, at the outhreat Of the Crmean
war, is belauded in Mr.. Kiuglake's book as the
highest art of British negotiation. His style
or m Z ha 1act tafu 70
fault even for the very strickened British
school of blood and thunder diplomacy. Brim-
ming with British energy and ford in the fash
ion of his race, he burst into the secretary's
office with National lntelligencer, cooked and
primed, and folded down in his hand. Brandish-
ing at the secretary the report of bill intro
duced by Mr. Floyd, of Virginia, in the house
of representatives to provide for the occupation
of Columbia river, he lets him know that much
as she loved peace, England "would not on that
account yield one particle of her rights" 81
told him." says the secretary, f'that had no
doubt Of the correctness of his statement in
both its parts, and was happy to give him the
same assurance on the part of this government.
1t was the earnest wish of the president to pre-
serve the most friendly relations with Great
Britain, but he would maintain all the rights of
the United States; and could add as my indi-
vidual opinion that any chcaning of our right
to the mouth of the Columbia river would as
suredly not tend to promote that harmony be-
tween the two countries. Mr.. Canning again
repeated his surprise at the tone and temper
with which his application yesterday had been
received. This was the second time he had
tried his little game of demanding explanations.
1t worked well in Turkey.) He said he had ex-
amined and re-eXamined himself in vain to dis
cover the cause of the asperity with which he
had been treated by me-" "Sir," said |, "sup-
pose MIR. Rush-our minister in London then
should be present at debate in the house of
commons, and should hear q member in the
course of Il speech say something about the eX-
pedlency OF sending troops to the Shetland Isles
Suppose another member of parliament should
publish in a newspaper letter recommending
the same project, and suppose Mr.. Rush should
then go to Lord Caslereagh and formally allege
these two facts as his motives for demanding
whether the British government had any such
intentions? and if answered that very probably
they might, he should assume an imperious and
tragtcal tone of surprise and talk about viola
ton of treaties. How do you suppose it would
be received? He said now he understood, but
did consider the two cases as parallel? So far
as any question of right is concerned, perfectly
parallel, said l. Have you, said Mr.. Canning
any claim to the Shetland Isles? Have you any
claim, said |, to the mouth of Columbia river?
Why do you not know, said he, that we have a
claimf do not know said |, what you claim,
nor what you do not claim. You claim India,
you claim Africa, you claim -. Perhaps, in
terrnpted Mr.. Canning, part of the moon. No,
SAID l, L have not heard, that you claim eXclu-
siyely any part of the moon, but there is not a
spot on this habitable globe that / could affirm
you do not claim; and there is none which you
may not claim with as much color of right as
you can have to Columbia river"
1t seems TO me that such robust methods of
discussion were hardly likely, if prolonged, to
promote the peace for which both protested such
"A deep devotion.