gressions of citizens of the United States against the Mexican territory. And although he might hope for a flattering result in the change of proceedings, he finds himself, in consequence of a continuation of those proceedings, under the necessity of again calling the attention of the Secretary of State to the undeniable toleration which has been and is still afforded to the enemies of a nation sincerely friendly, and bound by the solemn compacts of a treaty which unites the two Republics.

In that note the undersigned, after setting before the Secretary the prudence with which the Government of Mexico has sought, ever since the commencement of the revolution of Texas, to conduct all its relations with the United States, so as to avoid a rupture between two nations, which, from their importance, and other serious considerations, seemed destined to fix the policy and the lot of the vast and rich continent of America, he flattered himself with the idea that the Cabinet of Washington would not protect, either openly or secretly, or in any way, the scandalous usurpation of an acknowledged portion of the national territory. He, however, regrets that he must judge from facts, open to all the world, that the very Cabinet of the United States, and the subaltern and local authorities, do observe a conduct openly at variance with the most sacred principles of the law of nations, and the solemn compacts of amity existing between the two nations; sufficient proof being afforded by the consent given to the formation of the most tumultuous public assemblies in various parts of the United States themselves, to the equipment of armaments, and the embarkation of volunteers in large bodies, and to the preparation and disposal of every thing calculated to contribute to aid the Texians, and to the invasion of a neighboring and friendly Republic.

The Mexican Government cannot understand such conduct; and being itself frank in its proceedings, and animated at the same time by a sincere desire that the relations now existing between this Republic and the United States should not suffer the slightest alteration, it considers itself bound in duty to repeat with every formality its former protest against such toleration; the continuance of which it will regard as a positive act of hostility against this Republic, which will regulate the conduct to be observed by it agreeably to the dictates of justice and to the interests and dignity of the nation.

The undersigned hopes that the Secretary will be pleased to reply with that promptness which the importance of the subject requires; and he avails himself with pleasure of this opportunity to repeat to that gentleman the assurance of his most distinguished consideration, with which he remains, &c.

To the Hon. Daniel Webster,

J. MARIA DE BOCANEGRA.

Secretary of State of the United States of America.

Mr. Webster to Mr. Thompson.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE,

Washington, July 13, 1842.}

SIR After writing to you on the 8th instant, I received, through the same channel as the former, Mr. de Bocanegra's second letter, and at the same time your despatch of the 6th of June, and your private letter of the 21st. This last letter of Mr. de Bocanegra was written, as you will see, before it was possible for him to expect an answer to his first, which answer is now forwarded, and shows the groundless nature of the complaints of Mexico. The letter itself is highly exceptionable and offensive.

It imputes violations of honor and good faith to the Government of the United States not only in the most unjust, but in the most indecorous manner. You have not spoken of it in terms too strong in your circular to the members of the diplomatic corps.

On the receipt of this, you will write a note to Mr. de Bocanegra, in which you will say: That the Secretary of State of the United States, on the 9th of July, received his letter of the 31st of May; that the President of the United States considers the language and tone of that letter derogatory to the character of the United States, and highly offensive, as it imputes to their Government a direct breach of faith; and that he directs that no other answer be given to it than the declaration that the conduct of the Government of the United States, in regard to the war between Mexico and Texas, having been always hitherto governed by a strict and impartial regard to its neutral obligations, will not be changed or altered in any respect or in any degree. If for this the Government of Mexico shall see fit to change the relations at present existing between the two countries, the responsibility remains with herself.

THE order of this edifice, upon its exterior, is of the purest style of Grecian Doric, being after the example of the Parthenon at Athens; and its general dimensions, compared with those of that ancient temple, are as eleven to twelve, the Parthenon being the largest. The size of the Custom-House, in plan, is 90 feet on each front, and 178 feet on the flanks. Its length to the extreme ends of the buttresses is 192 feet.

This edifice, like the Parthenon, is what is termed octastyle, having eight columns across the fronts. The colonnades, however, do not re

turn along the flanks, as in the Greek temple, but a range of deep-projecting ante rises upon the main walls of the cella, and supports the great entablature through each flank. The columns at each front are 5 feet 8 inches diameter, at the bottom, and the height is 31 feet. The height of entablature is 13 feet, above which, on the flanks, is set a range of antefixe, making a beautiful crown enrichment upon the eaves, while each separate ornament forms the foot-block, or base, to the saddle courses of the marble roof.

The superstructure rests upon a stylobate, which embraces the basement story, thirteen feet high; and below the basement there is a cellar eight feet deep, extending under the whole building, for the storage of wines. The lower, or cellar walls, are eight feet in thickness; those of the basement seven feet; the walls of the superstructure are, on the flanks, five feet thick, those on the fronts three feet. The entrance doors at each front are sixteen feet high, and eight feet wide in the opening. They are trimmed with antepagmente (architraves) in the simplest form of single facia, very bold, with an appropriate frieze and cornice over the head-piece. The windows of the first and second stories are five by ten feet in the openings. The attic story is lighted through the metopes, which are nearly four feet square. One single sheet of plate-glass, half an inch in thickness, makes both the window and the metope. The glass is set in an iron frame that shuts into a rabbet on the back edge of the triglyph, and it being rough ground and otherwise prepared, it has so near a resemblance to the white marble in the other parts of the entablature as completely to deceive the spectator when the windows are closed.

The basement story is divided into ten rooms, allotted severally for the offices of the inspectors, measurers, gaugers, weighers, &c. These rooms, together with the several passages, are finished in a neat and plain style, suitable to that part of the edifice.

On the principal floor there are seven rooms, besides the passages. The great room for the Collector is situated next to the south front, and is entered immediately from the portico on Wall street. In plan, this room is of a cruciform shape, its greatest diameters on the cross being, longitudinally, 85 feet, and transversely, 80 feet. A circle, 60 feet in diameter, formed of 16 columns and 8 antæ, of the Corinthian order, rises centrally from the floor of this room, with its beautiful unbroken line of entablature, the whole constructed of pure white marble. Then springs the lofty dome, over-spanning and crowning a rotunda of unparalleled grandeur and beauty. The dome is pierced through its summit with a sky-light 16 feet in diameter, the iron sash for the glass of which is composed in imitation of the stalks and leaves of the sun-dial plant, radiating from a large central rosette, the whole forming a very chaste and appropriate ornament. The ceiling of the dome exhibits a series of lacunariæ, (panellings,) of an entirely original form and character. There are 20 of them, of an oblong shape, radiating from a circular band, enriched with rosettes round the base of the sky-light; they extend downward to the entablature. Both ends of these lacunaria are pitched in a graceful pediment form, the upper end outward, the lower end inward and up

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ward. Then, besides an enriched moulding, there is at each end of the lacunar an ornament of a most beautifully classic form and composition, with the lotus, honeysuckle, and other flowers; and these simple flowers, although frugally disposed, impart the spirit of life, grace and beauty to the whole vaulting above.

The columns in this room, with their richly foliated capitals, are after the example of those upon the temple of Jupiter Stator, at Rome. But the design and composition of the entablature are to be accredited to the architect, Mr. Frazee. It is the opinion held by both architects and connoisseurs, who have given the subject attention, that the entablature on the temple of Jupiter Stator is quite an inferior composition, and altogether unworthy to be associated with the elegantly proportioned columns and capitals in that edifice. In Mr. Frazee's entablature the vertical breadth of the corona is much enlarged, while its soffit is unencumbered with modillions or other ornaments, that distract the horizontal line. Each division is greatly simplified, and a purer style of mouldings and enrichment is introduced. Thus the several portions are brought into closer harmony with the columns and capitals; and the whole order now presents that unity of proportion, type and character which leaves, upon the cultivated mind, the impress of a chaste and classic compo

sition.

The height of these columns, including base and capital, is 25 feet; height of entablature 6 feet; diameter of the shaft, at bottom, 2 feet 6 inches; each shaft is of one single stone. From the floor to the crown of the dome, the distance is 54 feet. Outside of the circle are four smaller-sized rooms, in the form of an L; in size, about equal to the square of 18 feet. They are situated nearly equidistant on the circle, one in each recess of the cross. That on the western angle is the private room of the Collector; that on the north is the cashier's office; the one on the east is the office of export and debenture, and that on the south is the liquidating office. All these rooms have a neat plain finish. In the second and third stories, and also in the basement, the same number of rooms, of this irregular shape, are similarly situated upon the great circle, or rotunda. Those four in the second story are entered from the corridors, which extend from room to room, along the walls outside of the columns, making a passage of intercommunication in this story entirely round the great room.

The four corridors are constructed entirely of iron; and they project about six feet from the walls. They are sustained by ranges of bracketbeams of a graceful console form, inserted firmly into the walls about six feet apart. Between these beams the ceilings are formed into lacunaria, of a bold and simple style. On the front of the corridor there runs a frieze, the height of one foot, covering the ends of the beams; it has a crown moulding, and is enriched through its whole line with a chaste classic ornament. On a

But the railing is the most interesting portion of the corridors. plinth, eight inches high, along the front of the corridor, are placed a range of caryatic figures, standing erect, about 3 feet apart, and clothed from the waist downward in a vesture of broad and graceful foliage.

Upon their heads lies the hand-rail, while in each hand is held a coil of the rich and beautiful scroll work, of foliage and flowers, that fills up the interval between the figures.

The ceilings directly over the four corridors are formed of groined arches, that spring from the top of the Corinthian architrave. To facilitate access to the rooms of the second and third stories, at the south end of the building, there are two spiral stairways ascending to those rooms from the floor of the rotunda.

Having given a general description of the large room, and those apartments situated on its four angles, we will proceed to notice the rooms and passages at the north end of the edifice. About midway of the building, lengthwise, there is a cross or transverse passage, ten and a quarter feet

wide.

At the ends of this passage, next to the flank walls, are the principal stairways. These stairs are five feet in width, constructed of granite, in the plainest style, with a neat iron hand-rail and ornamental balusters, and they ascend in the same style, with the same breadth of passage, from the basement to the attic.

A longitudinal passage, in breadth fifteen feet, extends from the entrance on Pine street, until it forms a junction with the transverse passage already described. On each side of the longitudinal passage there is a room 30 by 50 feet square. There are eight rooms of this size at the north end of the edifice, two in each story, with the same breadth of passage between them. These rooms, as are also the passages, are all vaulted over with groined arches those in the rooms spring from antæ, at intervals along the walls, and have their bearing through the middle of the room, upon three columns, in the Grecian Doric style, placed opposite the antæ. The ceilings are laid off by broad bands or ribs across the springings and up the groins, thus forming a series of triangular lacunaria of chaste and beautiful character.

There are no panellings in the ceilings of the passages, excepting those in the ribs that span over the passages from the capitals of the antæ. But there is on these ceilings, at each apex of the groinings, a centre piece, composed of flowers, scrolls, and foliage. This is an ornament of surpassing elegance. There is also another splendid ornament over each of the eight doors in the large passage from the entrance, and the same ornament is again seen over the cornice in the transverse passage. These ornaments are deserving of particular notice, for their exceeding richness and beauty, both in design and execution. The eight rooms above described, fronting Pine street, are appropriated thus: Those two in the basement are occupied by the inspectors; the two on the principal floor, one the naval office, the other the surveyor's office; in the second story, one the principal auditing office, the other a branch of the naval office; in the attic story, one for auditing clerks, the other a room of records. From the basement floor to the pavement of the principal floor is 13 feet; thence to the floor of second story, 16 feet 4 inches; thence to the attic floor 15 feet; height of attic story, 13 feet.

We have now given a description of the principal features of this noble edifice, upon its exterior, and of all the apartments within. The observations that are to follow must necessarily extend to a variety of things, general and miscellaneous.