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* - - ' t. NORTHEASTERN BOUNDARY. i Pram the Augusta (Maine) Age. We publish below a letter upon this subject, from Col. Johnson, with that of Dr Oonv; to which it i* an answer. > - ' AUGUSTA, Me. Feb. 2. Sir? It cannot be unknown to you thai th'tf-people of this Slate feel a lively ten' Nihility to the opinions of all public men ir " 'this country, upon the gre4l. absorbing nn< Vftal question of our territorial rights*: 1 I do not mistake the signs of the times - this momentous subject is fast verging u n crisis, and neither the arts of dipimnac) nor the tantalizing tardiness of transatlan tic negocialions, can much longer avert #r issue. . The heel of the invader which is grind ing into our vitals, will soon reach thi quick. ' . . ? For the awakened attention of the gen eral mind throughout the Union, and the increased interest fell in the question eve ry where, much has been owing to the spi rited discussions and the unexampled una nimity qf sentiments upon the question o right, which has been exhibited in botl houses.of Congress within the . last fou years. But the partiality of your coon trymen has placed you during that perioi in a station where your voice could no be heard. Believing that your views upoi this important subject would be eagerly read, not only by this Stale but by th< whole country, is my apology for asking you to make them public. I am. sir, very respectfully, Your ob't. servant, ROBERT A.. CONY. To Col. R. M. Johnsok, Yice President of the U. States. Washington, Feb. 6, 1841. My Dear Sir: -To your inquiries res peeling my opinion on the question con' cerning the Northeastern boundary of the United States, I will frankly reply. Congress have no constitutional right tc dismember a State or any part of her territory, nor to concede to a foreign power one foot of the territory of these United Slates. It is one of those points or which a majority of Congress, or even a majority of a State Legislature cannoi constitutionally yield assent. If an individual citizen became the lawful proprietor of but an acre of land within the U. Slates, there is uo power existing, eithei in the General Government, or in the Government of the State in which he is located. to expatriate him by transferring hit ?"Tr " ? - ? # residence to a foreign power. His citizenship is his birthright. His land is his inheritance. Government is pledged to protect him in the enjoyment of both? his State Government to guard his property, and both Governments to guard his right 1 as a citizen. The only question then ii that of the true boundary. If thebounda ry can be ascertained, there can be n< compromise of the question. The value o the disputed territory is a matter of n< consideration. If it be but a barren acre or the whole State of Maine, the princi pic is the same; and though it may cos another eight years' war of the whole na tion, the whole nation is bound to sustain it. The integrity of our territory is iden tified with our independence, and canno be impaired without the sacrifice of oci national character. Can the boundary be defined? Thisii the only question at issue. If it cannot, t compromise is necessary. If it can be de^ fined, it cannot be changed. To settle this point we must first refer to the treaties ol peace with Great Britain. The first of these, called the provisional aiticleof peace, signed at Paris, Nov. 30 1782, defines the boundary as follows: 44 From the northwest angle of Novs Scotia, wtz: that angle which is formed by a line drawn due north from thi source ol St. Croix river to the highlands, along the ssid highlands, which divide those riven which empty themselves into the river St Lawrence, from those which fall into tin Atlantic Ocean, to the northwestermos head of Connecticut river: thence dowr aiiHg the middle of that river to the fortj fifth degree of north latitude; from thence by a line due west on said latitude, unti it strikes the river Iroquois or Cataraquay thence along the middle of said river inlc Lake Ontario," dte: The next is the definitive treaty of peact between the two countries, signed at Paris Bept. 3, 1783. In this last the boundary is defined in the same words as in the fur men ' , From this definition, there can be no dif iiCulty in ascertaining the true boundary provided the source of the St. Croix rivei call be determined. This has been settler ' by a joint commission of the two Govern -- 1 ? f*Kw o nmnnmnnf ? menu,' anu im?nvc? ? ...... ? therefore constitutes no part of this con troversy. From this monument a line drawn clue north is the fixed boundary be tween the United States and Nova Scotia now New Brunswick. This lin*' contin vfes till it intersects that line of the high lands tVhtch divide the waters that fall intci St. Lawrence from the waters which find their way into the Atlantic Ocean without jpingling with those of the St. Lawrence. It appears to me, that language could not make it more detinue, anu tint live wosi ordinary surveyor, governed by this definition, could not vary a perch in marking the line. \ due west line cannot he drawn with mathematical accuracy, because it it a curve upon the plane of the horizon; bul a north line may be drawn with the greatest ease, and the highest points of land upon every part of the dividing line b<v tweet) H'flter courses taking opposite di reclions, caTn ^ascertained certain^ *7' If we had no guide but thfe Iang'ti*ge!of the treaties, there could be no ground fur ' doubt; but the case is rendered yet strong er by other corroborative circumstances. The British Government claims the territory north of Mars Hill; and contends I that the point specified in the treaty as the northwest angle of Nova Scntin is that 1 hill. But there is no angle in.the line oi I Nova Scotia at that point. The boundary f -r !.?< r?niurnm nnndmicil In a ? right line more than a hundred miles norlh > of Mars Hill; and to call it the northwest ' angle, when there is no angle, no northern - bonndarv, would be absurd. r' ' Ij is contended that the rivers which fall into estuaries of the ocean tlbChot empty * themselves into the ocean. This is too s trifling a quibble to need refutation. Il v may with as much propriety be said that - the Blue Ridge, and not the AHeghany, is e the dividing highland between the river* - which empty themselves into the Missis* sippi, and those which empty itrto the At* Ian tic, because the rivers fotirih'bays before f *hfcy reach tho ocean. ' i - It ia < < >!iondf>d ili.it the highlands, or r which Mars Hill is situated, are mere elerated than those which divide the water: 1 of the Atlantic from tnose of the St, I Lawrence. If such were the fact, it would i not constitute them the highlands describ>' *d in the treaties. The Restock, the Aliguash, the Matawaska, and several \ other rivers, lie north of the ridge foi which the British Government contend, and they all fall into the Su Johns; and the St. Johns also lies wholly north ol that ridge, and it empties into the Bay ol Fundy, which is an estuary of the ocean, To sustain their claim then, they musi make the Bay of Fundy to be the rivei Saint Lawrence. The Memptcook, the Grande Fourche, and the Ristigoucli into which they empty, all take their rise in the disputed territory, and the Ristigoucli does not fall into the St. Lawrence, bul 1 into the Bay Chaleur: The case then is ' as clear as demonstration can make it. It is urged that the British commission. ers, in the treaty of peace, did not intend to deprive their provinces of a direct ' communication between Hnlifix and duei bee. Their intention is better known by their acts, than by modern construe tion; and the British Government, first in Europe for wisdom and intelligence, ' should be the last Government on earth to plead ignorance in a matter on which they were negotiating. Before the conquest of Canada from the French, Nora Scotia extended to the > St. Lawrence, and its northwest angle 1 was on that river, and at the point where ' the line drawn due north from the source > of the St. Croix will intersect it. The ' west side of that line was New England, i and the east side Nova Scotia. When in the treaty ?>f 1763 the territory of Canada ? was confirmed to the British, the province f of Quebec, as it was then called, was > constituted a British province; and as the , city of Quebec was situated on the St. Lawrence, the province was extended t south of the highlands which divide the waters of the ocean from those of the St. ' Lawrence, so as to include the valley ul that river. This took from the north ol I Nova Scotia and New England that nar ' row strip of territory, from the Bay Chaleurs on the east, along the highlands i which divide those waters, to the eastern t bank of the Connecticut on the west, in laiitiirtu iR mid frnm thn<tf> hinrlilnnds nn i the south, to the St. Lawrence on the f north. The proclamation which defined this boundary was dated Oct. 7, 1763. In I 1774, it was confirmed by act of Parliament. That line was the undisputed ' northern boundary of Nora Scotia and New GngLnd from that time forward.? 1 The commissioners of the King of Great ' Brilian to his Governors, all recognise this line as the southern boundary of : Canada; and a claim for any territory 1 south of it was never intimated foi half a * century after. * Such arc my views concerning the true boundary of the northeastern part ? ( 1 the State of Maine; and such my scntir ments of the obligation of the United [ Slates to maintain thai boundary. The ' possession of any part of the territory ' within it by Great Britian, is a violation ol ' the treaty of pea*e, and an invasion ol the United States. 5 The only remaining question then is ? that of expediency. The question ol ' right is settled; and what stronger con* firms it is, that no American, who had ,, ever examined the subject,'dissents from - the decision. The ties of.-consanguinity, , of affection and of interest, which exist r between this country and Great Brilian, I are so strong, and so cordially cherished hy most Americans that scarcely an act of Gieat Britian, however unwarranted by the laws of nations or of equity meets with unqualified censure. Even their depredations upon our commerce, and their impressment of our seamen during their wars with France, found many apologists in America, und if their cluim in this case > had (he slightest shadow of justice, it I fin,I its advocates nmnn<r lis: lint so I far as my information extends, it has not . found a solitary American to make an t apology for it. What then is the course l which expediency dictates? We have de rived nil our institutions and most of us our being, from Oritian. We have more i intercourse, more udinities, and deeper i interest* with Iter, than with all the world t besides. To maintain peace with her is > worth' much forbarance; indeed, any I thing short of degradation. Great Bri. tain has ever been slow to do us justice, but she eventually comes to it; and when 'she doVs\tf she does it with magnanimity. J iShe retained-possession of Michigan, more than twelve years after fhe close of the Revolutionary war; yet she finally relinquished it without a rupture; and "I , [am of the opinion that she will yet fore| go this claim: It is no less her interest than ours, to cultivate harmony between ( the countries. This territory in dispute is much less important to her than to us.? Her claim is without the shadow of right; and she will certainly wake to a sense of' justice. It will not be wise for us to resort to violent measures, till all hope from negociation shall be exhausted, and a settled determination shall be manifested on her part to hold the territory.? I Whenever that period shall arrive, the last resort of nations will be our only alteri native. In such an issue, our whole coun. try will be unanimous. All the energies i of the nation will be enlisted. The devos lion of every heai taud the strength of every i arm will be exerted in the common cause; - and the result will be, success and victory > to our Republican empire. With .uniiminii ftf hiirh con si '1 e ra ti o n and reapetft, your friend and fellow cilii zc n? f /( .-I*: ^ 'j RICHARD M. JOHNSON, i To Robert A. Cony, Esq. Augusta, , Maine. | THE COTTON CROP. > We have watched the progress of the | market and the arrival of the crop with no little anxiety?from the apparently well, grounded fear, not yet fully relieved, that j the great Influx of Cotton during the early f part of the seasbn, would, whert fully felt f in the European market, create a revul, sion in the price of our staple. The dant ger of suclHin effect is not in our opinion - "ai nn.ao^. onil wfi rptrnrd tile nresent - - i time as the most critical moment of the ( season, to the speculators in Cotton?but i that is their look out. We have endeai vored as far as depended on the influence ; of one Journal, to ward off such revulsion i hy an exposition of the true slate of the crop an?l the reasons peculiar to the yenr . which had brought so large a part of it | prematuiely to market. These reasons t and the conclusion we drew from them, . stand now umply confirmed. On the 1st , of January last, we staked our credit on , the prophecy, that, by the first of March, i the receipts of the present crop would have fallen short of the same period last year, 200,000 bales. The fallowing is a comparative statement of the receipts in all the Southern ports to the latest dates: 1840 1 1839-40 N. Orleans, Feb. 20, 476,692 634,977 Mobile, ' 44 24, 182.335 544,878 Florida, 44 6, 35,838 212,550 Georgia, 44 25, 62,453 130,405 S. Carolina, 4- 26, 111,086 163,212 N. Caaolina, 44 6, 2119 4631 Virginia, 44 1, 4655 6000 10 431 15.141 Utu toiuiivij - -1 .vy 887,010 1,100,137 897,010 2I2;527 [ It appears then that the receipts of the , present year so far, have fallen short of T the same dates last year 212.527 bales.? r Let it be remembered too, that for two . nmntf.s after the commencement of the season, the receipts of the present crop i exceeded those of last year, and that at i the lime ive made the prophecy now so i completely fulfilled, the receipts had not, i lallen short of the greatest crop yet pro-' i duced. From the comparative statement given' above, we are also able to estimate with some certainty, the entire amount of the rrop. At the dates given above in 1810, I more than half of the crop had come to market. If we allow the same proportion of the present crop to have come in, the entire amount of the rron will be about ' 1.680,000 bales. But the arguments we adduced on a former occasion to show that the present crop was much earlier gather* ed and much,more rapidly thrown into the market, induce us to make a still further * deduction ..from the present crop, which . on the besl.consideration we have been able to give the subject, we set down at : not over 1,600*030 bales. It is improbable that the crop will much fall short of f that, and still more improbable that it will f much exceed it. With this limit to production, no one will say that the rise in t price is extravagant, or that if it were unr derstood, there would be any danger of a , depression in our staple. The true danger is, that our friends across the water will draw wrong conclusions from the great i.i-| flux of t/)e crop in the first four months of the seasons.?Mercury. We see it stated in the Raleigh Re gisler, that a Mr. Pratt, of Orange county was recently most inhumanly murdered by one of his negro men. They were in the woods shaving shingles?the negro struck him a violent blow with a hatchet, which stunned him, 'and then deliberately despatched him. After concealing the body in the leaves, he went to the house and told his mistress, that his master had sent him for his horse and pocket-book, intending to go to a store that was near; they were accordingly sent, and a little son of Mr. Pratt's was sent with the negro. On the ,way, the negro knocked the child down with a club, and supposing hiin dead, made o0f with iho horse and pocket-book. The little boy, however, recoverod sa fur, us to return to the house and give the alarm; when the negro was pursued-^overtaken at Hillsboro', and confined in jail, and will no doubt suffer for his atrocious crimes, on the gallows.?Ashviltc Messenger. u TthHotHZET oawedeu, s. oabolina. " WEDNESDAY MORNING, MARCH 10, 1841. o" The Rov. Willuw Carlisle has kindly offer, ed to act as agent in collecting accounts due this Office, in this and the neighboring Districts, and is authorized to receipt for the same. The Rev A. Peurifoy is also authorized to colect and receipt for money due us. 0"Wo are disappointed in not being able to lay before our readers the inaugural address of President Harrison. It had not reached us when our paper wont to press. Death of Judoe Barbour.?The Hon. Pmur P. Barbour, of Virginia, one of the Associate Judges of the Supreme Cou^ of the United States, died at Washington on the night of the 24th ult. Judge Barbour remained in consultation with his colleagues of the Bench until 10 o'clock that evening, before j he retired to his chamber, and seemed in as good | health and spirits as usual. In the morning he was found dead in his bed, having died apparently without a struggle. y.i Judge Barbour has filled many distinguished situations, both under the General Government tuid iri the Slate of Virginia. He sustained through lift the character of a pure and upright man. The Hon. James T. Morehkad has been electei U. S. S-nator from Kentucky in place of Mr. Crit tenden, and the Hon. Rufus Choate from Massachu setts, in place of Mr. Webster. We tender our thanks to the Hon. R. M. John son, the Hon. J. O. Calhoun and Hon. T. D. Sum ter, for various valuable documents. /NnntrvmrnP ATTAT iTTHXIC! Sl/ttiriUlHi ((vutniiuiiu. The light and trifling, as well as the irrcveroni manner in which quotations from the sacred volumi are continually introduced into Congressional speech cs, editorial articles on political questions, and ever reports of the proceedings on the race course, is be coming so common and so disgusting as to call loud ly for the condemnation of all those who profess an] regard for tho solemn truths of holy writ, or who ii any degree look to their influence for the prcservatioi of sound morals. No more fatal blow can be struct at the influence of religion.?nothing is better cal culated to strengthen the cause of infidelity,?1< undo and to render nugatory the efforts of tho chris tian world, than the indiscriminate, the irreverent and, we may add, the blasphemous introduction o scripture quotations on all occasions, and under cir cumstanccs which make them peculiarly inappro priatc and hurtful. Will not our brethren of the press, who havi thoughtlessly and inadvertently been led into tlx practice, reflect on its deleterious effects, its fata consequences, and refrain from the use of these so lomn quotations, except when discussing questions the importance of which render their introductioi justifiable? Wo are well convinced that there an many of our brother editors who have a high regno for tho "sacred oracles," who are in the habit o mingling in thcir^>olitic&l disquisitions, passages o scripture which have grated harshly on our cars and wo doubt not havo been the cause of regret am ?r thotr wadnriL The last numbe of the South Carolinian close* an interesting articf on the subject of the Banks with a quotation, which to our mind, was entirely out of place. The higl stand which the Carolinian occupies on the subjee of religion and morals, and our own knowledge o the character of the editor, forbids any other suppe sition, than that this, as well as other quotations fron the sacred scriptures which we have noticed in hi columns, were introduced from the best and purest c motives, but we think a moment's reflection wil convince him that the cause of morals and religioi will suffer more from indulging in this practice thai will be repaid by the advancement of the principle they were introduced to sustain. It was not those quotations, howover, which at traded our attention particularly to tho subject a this time, but an article which appeared in the Char leston Mercury of the 5th instant This article i copied in a commendatory stylo from the New Yorl Spirit of the Timet, and is an introduction to an ac count of tho racos over the Washington course. Thi irreverent manner in which the holy scriptures an quoted in this article, must shock every ono who ha the least regard for its sacred truths, or who has anj respect for those who do regard them. Wo shouh I be pleased to believe that the publication of this ar ticle was an inadvertence on the part of the Mercury and wo do hope that the practice or quoung strip ture indiscriminately, "more honored in the bread than in the observance," w:ll for the future be dis continued. The stock of the Bank of the United States wai selling at New York on tho 1st instant, at seventeer dollars and twontv-fivo cents per share, and in Phila dolphia, the.Thursday previous, at fifteen dollars.? The Philadelphia Ledger states that a gentleman ic thnt city offers, for one hundred dollars in cash, tc furnish, in sixty duys, twenty shares of the stock oi this Bank, which would be'at tho rate of $5 pel share. The notes of tho Bank of the Unitoff/Statos were selling at New York, on the 1st instant, at 20 por cent, discount, and if they nre not worth more than that, the stock is worth less than nothing* _____ . John J. Morgan, Esq. has boo^E?pp?'n,c<' ^ollector of the Port of New York in thep'3C? of Jesse Hovt, resigned. Tho nomination of Pete" V* Daniel, of Virginia, as Associate Justice of the Suprc.no Court of the United States was confirmed by tho Senate on tho night of tho 3J instant, the last day of the session of the 26th Congress. Hard Times.? The New York Journal - ? -? "> n!no /lomif.ihnc nf n 1 (J of Cjommercc aaj/a, ....... uvMUj.i..,,, Madeira wine were sold the other day at twenty dollars a gallon, or one hundred dollnrs a demijohn; and ten more, not quite so old, at ten dollars n gallon. The nine were taken by one individual for family use. CHARLESTON MAIL. "We are requested to state, that thff Post Master General having discontinued the Sunday-trip to Columbia, no maif will be made up for that office, as well as Camden, in future, on Saturday afternwm* Letters for the interior of the State,_and for North Carolina, usually despatched on that day, will he made up on the previous" day (Friday.) at one o'clock, P. Charleston Cou., Feb. 25. ' '' It will be seen from the above, that the Sunday mail between this place and Char-' leston, has been discontinued. The in\ rrinvenienee and ininnr <->r .u:_ - # v ?; v? niiOf iu i'uf citizens, is strongly illustrated by a recent occurrence. The Rail Road and Stage travel is still continued, and on Sunday1 last a single copy of the Charleston Patriot of Saturday, containing the late European News by the Britannia, wa* brought by a pnssenger, and {riven to orte of our merchants. No advantage was' i taken of this; but it is easy to perceive' that it affords great opportunities for Extensive private speculation on the news of . a rising or falling market, conveyed by*? i single individual in Charleston, to another i in this place. No Charleston or Northern parvus were received by us on Tuesday ...... mug?:n>t oen me rainiu iri'in am.,k 1 cause or other?and the Foreign news we. now publish was not received by ns tlH* . yesterday morning. To remedy the discontinuance of the Sunday mail by the Post Master General, . Mr. McLean, the Stage Contractor, witlr . the liberality and public spirit for which he is s<? much distinguished, declared hi* willingness to carry that Mail free of charge, if the Post Masters in Columbia t and Charleston would make it up and tie* 5 liver it, as usual. This we learn by a letter we have seen, from Charleston, which , also slates, that the Post Master in Charleston 9ays "he cannot send a mail on that day without orders from the Department." The Post Mnster in Columbia, is j very willing to send the mail while the Stage goes, and indeed considers it his duty to do so, and that of the contractor to take it, while he runs the Stage. The contract is for six days a week, the Sunday mail has been paid for extra; and we presume the only motive the Post Master \ General can have for discontinuing it, is ' :.i ,1..* !/ in avuiu uiui expense. 11 me oiage ira* " vels on Sunday, without the Mail, letters will be regularly and numerously sent by passengers, and the revenue of lherDcpartment thus lessened. How, then, can , the Post Master General have any objeetion to the Mail being delivered on Sonday, or the Post Master in Charleston sup' pose his authority necessary for the delivery of it? And is it not strange that j the latter should consider such authority necessary, while the Post Master in this f place considers it his duty to send ill' AVc trust that application will'be made by our merchants to the" Post Master General, on this subject, and fed assured r if it be, that be will not fail to direct the' 0 Post Master in Charleston to deliver the ' Mail, as long as the contractor is willing 1 to carry it.?South Carolinian. ' f :? From the Washington Globe. On Saturday last, at 3 o'clock, p. m.t in 1 accordance with previous arrangeffle t, 8 the members ofjfee Diplomatic Corps ae 4 credited to the Government of the United ' States, waited upon'lhe President to pren sent their united arid official respects, on n his approaching retirement from office. 8 Mr. Fox, us the senior of the diploma-' tic body, delivered an address, in their ' _ r>?:.i ?. ?l:.l it,a name, 10 me fresmeiu, nuibu, nun mv ?? 1 ply, we publish below. fl MR. FOX'S ADDRESS. * -' ^ Sir?I have ihe honor lo address yon, in the name of the diplomatic body accre2 dited to the United States of America ? 3 We are anxious, sir, to express to you the 3 high respect and esteem which we enter7 tain for your character, as well as the gra3 ti tude that tve feel personally for the kind ness and courtesy we have always receiv ed at your hands. We shall all remember with satisfaction the period during which 1 our respective public duties have placed us in communication with your Government; and in now taking leave of you officially, we beg to be allowed to assure ' you of the sincere interest we shall ever 1 ieel (i>r the continued welfare and h*ppi nese ofsjtourself and of your family. i *fffE PRESIDENT'S REPLY. I reciprocate, sir, cordially, the expresf sions of respect and esteem which you have made to" me, in behalf of the mem/ -I.- -i: ? i i?I.. i/v il lnTS Ol me uij/MMiianc uuuy a?ic<ii?u >v this Government. 1 would have regretted deeply the occurrence of a single circumstance in our <>tfiriul intercourse, to interrupt.those relations of mutual respect and personal kindness, the maintenance of which between public functionaries, is always agreeable, and wh eh seldom fails to exercise a salutary influence upon the transaction of public business. Your obliging expressions have satisfied me that my utmost wishes in this regard have been fuf|y realized, and I derive great pleasure from the conviction. The members of the diplomatic body trill please to accept my grateful acknowledgments for the interest they take irrthe future happiness of myself and family; I and I beg them to be assured that I will I always cherish a lively solicitude for their individual welfare, and for the welfare of those whose happiness is dependent upou i theirs.