"War Department, June 8th, 1860. "The Adjutant-General will order Brigadier-General Harney to repair to Washington City without delay. "JOHN B. FLOYD, "Secretary of War." "War Department, Adjutant-General's Office, "Washington, June 8, 1860.(') "Brigadier-General William S. Harney, United States Army, will, on the receipt hereof, turn over the command of the Department of Oregon to the officer next in rank in that department, and repair without delay to Washington City, and report in person to the Secretary of War. "By order of the Secretary of War. "S. COOPER, By orders of General Scott, Captain Hunt was again placed in command of the United States troops on the island of San Juan. Of the details of General Harney's reprimand I am ignorant. He was without command for a short time. Whatever the displeasure of the supreme Government, the citizens of the United States highly applauded his conduct, and, according to their custom, they serenaded him night and day during a long period. The Government of the United States was evidently ashamed of the mode in which the proceedings complained of had been conducted by General Harney and the officers under his command. It is possible that at this juncture a favourable consideration (1) American State Papers, p. 213. of the case, on its merits, might have been brought about, the United States Government having allowed itself to be placed in a false position. It is certainly to be regretted that our Government did not insist upon a withdrawal of the United States troops from the island, for the joint occupation has complicated the question, and rendered its settlement more difficult than it would otherwise have been. The island having once been in the quasi-possession of the United States, any one acquainted with the temper and character of American citizens can readily understand that they will consider it as a point of honour to acquire and retain full possession thereof. CHAPTER XIV. It is time now to return to the correspondence between the Governments of Great Britain and the United States with reference to the boundary question. On the 10th of October, 1859, Lord Lyons wrote as follows to Mr. Cass :(1)— "Washington, October 10, 1859. 'SIR,-Her Majesty's Government have received my report of the verbal communication which you did me the honour to make to me on the 5th of last month, with regard to the recent occupation of the island of San Juan by United States troops. "It is satisfactory to Her Majesty's Government to learn, as to the past, that General Harney did not act on that occasion upon any order from the United States Government, but entirely on his own responsibility. "But, as to the future, Her Majesty's Government cannot consider it satisfactory that my note of the 12th of May last should have remained without an answer. They have, consequently, requested me to press for an answer to that note, and to urge that orders be sent to the United States officers not to use military force on disputed territory without direct authority from the President; for Her Majesty's Government cannot but think that if such acts are to take place by the sole direction of subordinate officers, and the President does not disavow them, the consequence must be as evil as if the President had authorised them from the beginning. (1) American State Papers, p. 229. "I have the honour to be, with the highest consideration, sir, your most obedient, humble servant, "Hon. Lewis Cass, &c. &c. &c." "LYONS. This letter was followed by another (1) dated SIR, I have the honour to inform you that I received this morning, from Her Majesty's principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, a despatch informing me that Her Majesty's Government had had under their consideration my reports of the communications which had taken place between you, sir, and myself, previously to the 14th of last month, relative to the island of San Juan. "Her Majesty's Government awaited, with anxiety, the further decision of the Government of the United States respecting that island. "The withdrawal of the United States troops, or an arrangement for joint occupation by British marines and the military force of the United States, would provide for the immediate difficulty. "But the course most conducive to permanent relations of friendship between the two countries, would be the acceptance of the United States of the fair and equitable proposal contained in the despatch from Lord John Russell, dated the 24th of August last, of which I had the honour to place a copy in your hands on the 12th of last month. "I am instructed, sir, earnestly to recommend these points to your attention, and to inform you that the course of Her Majesty's Government will be guided by the nature of your reply. "I have the honour to be, with the highest consideration, sir, your most obedient, humble servant, "Hon. Lewis Cass, &c. &c. &c." (1) American State Papers, p. 230. "LYONS. Mr. (or General) Cass replied as follows :(1) "Department of State, "Washington, October 22, 1859. "MY LORD, I have had the honour to receive your lordship's note of the 10th instant, in which you recall my attention to your previous note of the 12th of May, on the subject of the recent occupation of the island of San Juan by troops of the United States. "In several conversations with your lordship, I have endeavoured to place you fully in possession of such information on this subject as the President has received, and of the general views of this Government with respect to it. You are aware that on the 14th July, 1855, Mr. Marcy, the late Secretary of State, addressed a letter to Governor Stevens, of Washington Territory, with the special purpose of preventing any conflict on the island pending the settlement of the title to it, which was in dispute between the two countries. While this Government had no doubt whatever that the island belonged to the United States, it was quite willing, for this very reason, to await the result of negotiation which might be expected to lead to this conclusion. A copy of Governor Marcy's letter was communicated to Mr. Crampton, then Her Majesty's Minister in Washington, and on the 18th of July, 1855, he replied, 'entirely concurring in the propriety of the course recommended' to Governor Stevens, and expressing his intention to advise a similar course on the part of the local authorities of Great Britain. Nothing had been done on the part of the United States to change this condition of affairs at the time when General Harney thought it necessary, for the protection of American citizens, to direct a military force to take position on the island. In verbally communicating to you these facts, I also informed your lordship that General Scott had been ordered to Washington Territory with a view to ascertain the precise condition of affairs in that region, and with instructions calculated to prevent any further conflict of (1) American State Papers, p. 230. |