The Portland daily press., 1871-01-11

Derlaln!' mat phrase has become the regu-
lar, universal, asinine formula for Maine.
The Reno val of Mr.. Motley from the Eng
lish Missfon-His Correspondence with
Secretary Fish.
The official correspondence sent to the SEN
ate on Monday between John Lothrop Motley,
oar late minister to England, and Secretary
Fish in regard to the dismissal of the former,is
very voluminous and would fill six of our col
umns in small type. Mr.. Motley's letter is
dated at London, Dec 70, 1870, and covers a
period from June Is, 1870, to December. He
begins by referring to the fact that on the last
mentioned day he read in the telegraphic in
telligence from the United States to the Lon
don papers the unofficial announcement that it
was the intention of the president to nomi-
nate his successor. He proceeds:
SIT would be impossible for any diplomatic
agent to believe himself more thoroughly pos
sessing the confidence of the government which
he had the honor to serve, than supposed my
self to enjoy at that moment. No intimation
of a contemplated change had been made to
me. No shadow of difference of opinion ex-
listed between the President and his govern
ment and myself as to our relations with Great
Britain or any other power, or as to the gener-
al policy of his administration, and was at
that very period engaged in as delicate and
confidential a diplomatic correspondence with
yourself and the British government upon sew
eral important matters as could we'll be coDfid-
ed in government to its foreign agent The
report in the newspapers dismissed, there
fore, as an idle rumor, the President Of the
United States being incapable, as believed of
thus dealing with public servant whom he
had himself SO recently appointed. Had a
change been contemplated l feel certain I
should have been privately informed of 1t first
and the public afterwards. 3lr
Had any charges against me of derelction
from duty been possible, 1 was sure they would
have been both referred to my face, so that
might have the opportunity of answering
them. No man has the right to doubt that in
such case would have at once offered my res
ignation." &
Nineteen days after he received telegram
from Secretary Fish saying that the. President
finds it desirable to make change in in the
mission to England, and that Mr.. Motley is
allowed the opportunity to resign if he wishes
it. Mr.. Motley declines to resign for reasons
set forth in letter, as follows:
"As I am not conscious of ever having omit
ted to carry out, to the best of my ability, the
policy and instructions of the President during
the period of my mission, | fail to perceive why
should be asked to offer my resignation.
Certainly it is not my wish to embarass the
administration, which have always faithfully
supported; but owe something to myself
Were now to make use of the permission &C.
corded TO me to resign, it would seem that I
did SO in order to avoid removal which K new
to be just, and to escape the stigma which
felt to be undeseryed, as know the record of
my mission, as it stands on the archives of the
department. and this legation, TO be free from
Intentional fault, and as I have, therefore, no
reason to shun the strictest scrutiny in this
regard Il do not like to have even the appear
ance of making the contrary admission. A
man is sometimes permitted, a. favor, to re-
sign post of honor and responsibility in order
to escape examination, censure and removal;
bat resignation under such circumstances Is
not voluntary act, and does not seem to me
to differ essentially from removal Such pro-
ceedings on my part would, perhaps, be mis-
understood by many both at home and abroad,
whose opinions value. ">l. -l
He remarks, in this connection, that "no
regularly confirmed minister to this court
(England) has ever been removed by the PREF
ident who appointed him." and that the man
ner of the removal is an insult to the Office and
to his character, which has been subjected to
malignant and anonymous attacks. He une-
qu!vocally denies that he has ever intention
ally violated the instructions of his govern
ment, and pronounces as false the rumor that
he volunteered any instructions (refecting the
VA0Wo VI q SCAeuiu SoAdtoA au0 pESScuI0u GuoM
as his own in his interviews with Lord Claren-
don,.i direct opposition to the wishes of the
Executive. He reviews at great length his of.
fetal intercourse with Lord Clarendon, and at
taches copies of the correspondence between
himself and Secretary Fish, called forth by
some criticisms of the latter on his official
course. In closing, Mr.. Motley refers to the
rumor that his removal was the result of the
r--...-c L 49,
ratification Of the San Domingo treaty. Upon
this question the minister expresses no opin-
ion. He closes his long letter as follows:-
II have thus recorded in my last official act
solemn protest against the outrage, as be-
lieve, entirely without precedent, of my per-
emptory removal"
Mr.. Fish answers Mr.. Motley's defence in a
long letter to Mr.. Moran, Secretary of Lega
ton, dated Dec. Sd, in which positively asserts
that Mr.. Motley prepared an elaborate me-
moir, and submitted it as his views upon the
questions at issue between the two govern.
ments and as general tenor OF instructions
which he would desire to receive" which was
Objectionable to the President; that Mr.. Mot
ley's unfortunate memory was the chief cause
of his removal, and that differences existed be-
tween him and the Executive even before be
left this country; and also that among the rea-
sons for the recall of Mr.. Motley, is that short
ly after his appointment and before he left
this country for his post of duty, it became ap-
parent that upon a question of controlling in
terest, at that moment occupying the attention
of the thoughtful and the prudent, to restrain
the passions which had been excited by elo-
quent declarations and powerful rhetoric. Mr..
Motley accepted the views upon which popu-
lar excitement had been stimulated and
wrought to the verge of dangerous irritation,
rather than those which the President claimed
to be sound and based upon the true principles
of public law.
Mr.. Fish further says that Mr.. Motley was
particularly cautioned against threatening ex-
pressions, but was carried away by the views
of Senatorial friends who reiterated them
Mr.; Fish says that the statement of Mr.. Sum-
ner's action in the San Domingo question in
any way influencing Mr.. Motley's recall is en-.
tirely untrue, but that serious differences of
opinion had existed all along since his arrival
at the Court of st. James, and there were COM
plants of Mr.. Motley. issuing state paper
from the legation after he was ordered to re-
turn the paper to Mr.. Moran.
Secretary Fish says:
Men are apt to attribute the causes of their
own failures OF their own misfortunes to others
than themselves, and to claim association or
seek partnership with real or imaginary
grievances with which to divide their sorrows
or their mistakes. There can be no question
as SO the identity of the eminent Senator at
whose door Mr.. Motley is willing to deposit the
cause of his removal; but he is entirely mista-
ken in seeking vicarious cause of his loss In
confidence and favor, and it is unworthy of
MIR: Motley's real merit and ability and an in
justice to the venerable Senator alluded to,
to whose influence and urgency he was origin
ally indebted for his nomination, to attribute
60 him any share IN the cause of his removal.
The whole matter, summed up, is that MI.
Motley Motley thinks he Is treated hardly by being
resigned if called on to doso. Mr.. Fish denies
bad treatment. and says Mr.. Motley received
several strong hints of his diplomatic miscon-
duct, and that he should have accepted them
as indications that his resignation was desired,
WooDcooK.-In looking over items we find
an omission to notice the state of woodcock
shooting last autumn. We delayed our no.
tice to hear from other New England
States. The very dry season had the eff.