rv doli-uis per aanam in advance rrvirtseinents inserted at 01 per square for he first j cent for each subsequent insertion court or ders charged 25 per centj = _ thefollowing message ftom the presi dent of the united states was commani catej to bjffi houses of congress yester day was/flnfitot mat 11,1840 __ , , i ir.,i.se of representatives xo the senate at n ■ the existing lte of thc relations be tween the unitiu states and mexico ren ders it proper that 1 should bring the sub ject to the consideration of congress in inv message at the commencement of your present session the state of these relations the causes which led to the suspension of diplomatic intercourse between the two countries in march is 15 and the long continued and unredressed wrongs and in juries committed by the mexican govern ment on citizens oi the # united states in their persons and property were briefly set forth as the facts and options which were then laid before you were carefully cou ' sidered 1 cannot better express my pres ent convictions of the condition of the af fairs up to that time than by referring you to that communication | the strongdesire to establish peace with i mexico on liberal and honorable terms » and the readiness of this covernment to regulate and adjust our boundary and other causes of difference with that pow er on such fair and equitable principles as would lead to permanent relations of the most friendly nature induced me in september last to seek the re-opening of diplomatie relations between the two countries every measure adopted on our part had for its object the furtherance of these desired results in communica ting to congress a succinct statement of the injuries which we had suffered from mexico and which have been accumula ting during a period of more than twen ty years every expression that could tend to inflame the people of mexico or defeat or delay a pacific result was carefully avoided an envoy of the united states repaired to mexico with full powers to adjust every existing difference but though present on the mexican soil by agreement between the two governments invested with full powers and bearing ev idence of the most friendly dispositions his mission has been unavailing the mexican government not only refused to receive him or listen to propositions but alter a long-continued series of menacs have at last invaded our territory and hed the blood of our fellow-citizens on our soil it now becomes my duty to state more in detail the origin progress and failure of that mission in pursuance of the in structions given in september last an in uuiry was made on the 13th october 1845 m the most friendly terms through our consul in mexico of the minister for for eign affairs whether the mexican gov ernment •■ would receive an envoy from the united states entrusted with full powers to adjust all the questions in dis pute between the two governments with the assurance that should the an swer be in the affirmative such an en voy would be immediately dispatched to mexico the mexican minister on the 15th october gave an affirmative answer to this inquiry requesting at the same time that our*naval force at vera cruz might be withdrawn lest its continued presence might assume the appearance of menace and coercion pending the nego tiations this force was immediately withdrawn on the 10th november 1845 mr john slidell of louisiana was com missioned by me as envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary of the uni ted states to mexico and was entrusted with full powers to adjust both the ques tions of the texas boundary and of in lemnification to our citizens the re iress of the wrongs of our citizens natur illy and inseparably blended itself with the quest ion of boundary the settlement of the one question in any correct view of the subject involves that of the other i could not for a moment entertain the idea that the claims of our injured and long-suffering citizens many of which had existed for more than twenty years should be postponed or separated from the set tlement of the boundary question mr slidell arrived at vera cruz on the thirtieth of november and was courteous ly received by the authorities of that city liut the government of general ilerrera was then tottering to its tall the revo lution party had seized upon the texas question to etlect or hasten its overthrow its determination to restore friendly rela tions with the united states and to receive our minister to negotiate for the settle ment of this question was violently assail ed and was made the great theme of de nunciation against it the government of general ilerrera there is good reason to believe was sincerely desirous to re ceive our minister but it yielded to the storm raised by its enemies and on the 21st december refused to accredit mr slidell upon the most frivolous pretexts these are so fully and ably exposed in the note of mr slidell of the 24th december last to the mexican minister of poreign rela tions herewith transmitted that 1 deem it unnecessary to enter into further detail on this portion of the subject five days after the date of mr slidell's note general hen-era yielded the gov ernment to general paredes without a struggle and on the thirtieth of december resigned the presidency this revolution was accomplished solely by the army the people having taken little part in the con test ; and thus the supreme power in mexico passed into the hands of a milita ry leader determined to leave no effort untried to effect an amicable adjustment with mexico i directed mr slidell to present his credentials to the government of gen the carolina watchman bruner & james / „,.. _ _ ;• keep a check upon all yotra editors sf proprietors \ is safe ." p n t m ne sek^s rvr.f.r.s do this vxd i.ibfktt < gcn'l harrison [ number 4 of volume 111 salisbury n c friday may 22 1846 paredes and ask to be officially receiv ed by hirh there would have been less ground for taking this step had general paredes come into power by a regular constitutional succession in that event his administration would have been con sidered but a mere constitutionial contin uance of the government of gen ilerre ra and the refusal of the latter to receive our minister would have been deemed conclusive unless an inumafiou had been given by general parjres of his desire to reverse ihe decision of his predecessor but the government of general pare des owes its existence to a military revo lution by which the subsisting constitu tional authorities had been subverted the form of government was entirely changed as well as all the high function aries by whom it was administered under these circumstances mr slidell in obedience to my direction addressed a note to the mexican minister of foreign delations under date of the 1st march last asking to be received by that gov ernment in the diplomatic character to which he had been appointed this min ister in his reply under date of the 12th march reiterated the arguments of his predecessor and in terms that may be considered as giving just grounds of of fence to the government and people of the united states denied the application of mr slidell nothing therefore re mained for our envoy but to demand his passports and return to his own country thus the government of mexico though solemnly pledged by official acts in octo ber last to receive and accredit an amer ican envoy violated their plighted faith and refused the offer of a peaceful adjust ment of our difficulties not only was the ffier rejected but the indignity of its re jection was enhanced by the manifest breach of faith in refusing to admit the envoy who came because they had bound hemselves to receive him nov can it ie said that the offer was fruitless from he want ofopportunity of discussing it ur envoy was present on their own soil v tor can it be ascribed to a want of suili lient powers : our envoy had full pow rs to adjust every question of difference or was there room for complaint that ur propositions lor settlement were iin easonable ; permission was not even giv n our envoy to make any proposition whatever nor can it be objected that ve on our part would not listen to any easonable terms of their suggestion ; the exican government refused all nego ation and heve made no proposition of ny kind in my message at ihe commencement f the present session informed you that pon the earnest appeal both of the con ress and convention of texas 1 had or ered an efficient military force to take a osition " between the nueces and the el norte this had become neco sm . y ) meet a threatened invasion of texas y the mexican forces for which exten ve military preparations had been made he invasion was threatened solely be ause texas had determined in accord nce with asoletrin resolution of the con ress of the i nited states to annex her jlf to our union ; and under these ircumstances it was plainly our duty to xtend protection over her citizens and this force was concentrated at corpus ihristi and remained there until after 1 ad received such information from mex o as rendered it probable if not certain tat the mexican government would re ise to receive our envoy meantime texas by the final action of ur congress had become an integral art of our union the congress of tex s by its acts of december id 18-1c had eclared the rio del norte to be the bound ry of that republic its jurisdiction had ecu extended and exercised beyond the sueces the country between that river nd the del norto had been represented it the congress and in the convention of cxas had thus taken part in the act of mnexation itself and is now included vitbin one of our congressional districts uv own congress had moreover with jreat unanimity by the act approved de sember 81 1845 recognised the country icyond the xueces as a part of our terri oi v by including it within our own reve lue system and a revenue oilicer to re ide within that district has been appoint ed by and with the advice and consent ot he senate it became therefore of ur gent necessity to provide for the defence of hat portion of our country accordingly m the 13th of january last instructions ivere issued to the general in command a these troops to occupy the left bank ol be del norte this river which is the southwestern boundary of the state ol texas is an exposed frontier from this uarter invasion was threatened ; upon it and in its immediate vicinity in the judgment of high military experience arc the proper stations for the protecting forces of the government in addition to this important consideration several others occurred to induce this movement among these are the facilities affordec by the ports at brazos santiago and the mouth of the del norte for the receptioi of supplies by sea ; the stronger and more healthful military positions the conve nience for obtaining a ready and a mort abundant supply of provision water fuel nnd forage ; and the advantages whicl are afforded by the del norte in forward ing supplies to such ports as may be es tablished in the interior and upon the in dian frontier the movement of the troops to the del norte was made by the commanding gen eral under positive instructions to abstain from all aggressive acts towards mexico or mexican citizens and to regard the re lations between that republic and the uni ted states as peaceful unless she should declare war he was specially directed to protect private property and respect personal rights the army moved from corpus christi on the 11th of march and on 28th of that month arrived on the left bank of the del norte opposite to matamoras where it encamped on a commanding position which has since been strengthened by the erection of field works a depot has been established at point isabel near the bra zos santiago thirty miles in rear of the encampment the selection of his posi tion was necessarily confided to the judg ment of the general in command the mexican forces at matamoras as sumed a beligerent attitude and on the 12th of april general ampudia then in command notified gen taylor to break up his camp within twenty-four hours and to retire beyond the nueces river and in the event of his failure to comply with these demands announced that arms and arms alone must decide the question but no open act of hostility was commit ted until the twenty-fourth of april on that day general arista who had suc ceeded to the command of the mexican forces communicated to general taylor that " he considered hostilities commenc ed and should prosecute them a party of dragoons of sixty-three men and offi cers were on the same day despatched from the american camp up the rio del norte on its left bank to ascertain whe ther the mexican troops had crossed or were preparing to cross the river be came engaged with a large body of these troops and after a short affair in which some sixteen were killed and wounded appear to have been surrounded and com pelled to surrender the grievous wrong perpetrated by mexico upon our citizens throughout a long period of years remain unredressed ; and solemn treaties pledging her public faith for this redress have been disregar ded a government either unable or un willing to enforce the execution of such treaties fails to perform one of its plain est duties our commerce with mexico has been almost annihilated it waslbrmerly high ly beneficial to both nations ; but our mer chants have been detered from prosecu ting it by the system of outrage and ex tortion which the mexican authorities have pursued against them whilst their appeals through their own government for indemnity have been made in vain our forbearance has gone to such an extreme as to be mistaken in its character had we acted with vigor in repelling the in sults and redressing the injuries inflicted by mexico at the commencement we should doubtless have escaped all the dif ficulties in which we are now involved instead of this however we have been exerting our best efforts to propitiate her good will upon the pretext that texas a nation as independent as herself thought proper to unite its destinies with our own she has affected to believe that we have severed her rightful territory and in offi cial proclamation and manifestoes has re peatedly threatened to make war upon us for the purpose of reconquering texas in the mean time we have tried every effort at reconciliation the cup of for bearance had been exhausted even be fore the recent information from the fron tier of the del norte but now after re iterated menaces mexico has passed the boundary of the united states has inva ded our territory and shed american blood upon the american soil she has pro claimed that hostilities have commenced and that the two nations ars now at war as war exists and notwithstanding all our efforts to avoid it exists by the act of mexico herself we are called upon by every consideration of duty and patriot ism to vindicate with decision the honor the rights and the interests of our country anticipating the possibility of a crisis like that which has arrived instructions were given in august last as a precau tionary measure against invasion or threatened invasion authorising general taylor if the emergency required to ac cept volunteers not from texas only but irom the states of louisiana alabama mississippi tennessee and kentucky ; and corresponding letters were addressed to the respective governers of those states these instructions were repeated and in january last soon after the incorpor ation of " texas into our union of states general taylor was further " authorized by the president to make a requisition upon the executive of that state for such of its militia force as may be needed to repel invasion or to secure the country a gainst apprehended invasion on the second day of march he was again re minded " in the event of the approach ol any considerable mexican force promply and efficiently to use the authority with which he was clothed to call to him such auxiliary force as he might need war actually existing and our territory having been invaded general taylor pursuant to authority vested in him by any direc tion has called on the governor of texas for four regiments of state troops two to be mounted and two to serve on foot and on the governor of louisiana for four regiments of infantry to be sent to him as soon as practicable in further vindication of our rights and defenceof ourterritory,i invoke the prompt action of congress to recognise the exist ence of the war and to place at the dis position ot the executive the means of prosecuting the war with vigor and thus hastening the restoration of peace to this end i recommend that authority should be given to call into the public service a large body of volunteers to serve for not less than six or twelve months unless sooner discharged a volunteer force is beyond question more efficient than any other description of citizen soldiers ; and it is not to be doubted that a number far beyond that required would readily rush to the field upon the call of their country 1 further recommend that a liberal provi sion be made for sustaining our entire mi litary force and furnishing it with sup plies and munitions of war the most energetic and prompt mea sures and the immediate appearance in arms of a large and overpowering force arc recommended to congress as the most certain and efficient means of bringing the existing collision with mexico to a speedy and successful termination in making these recommendations i deem it proper to declare that it is my anxious desire not only to terminate hos tilities speedily but to bring all matters in dispute between this government and mexico to an early and amicable adjust ment and in this view i shall be pre pared to renew negotiations whenever mexico shall be ready to receive proposi tions or to make propositions of her own i transmit herewith a copy of the cor respondence between our envoy to mexi co and the mexican minister for foreign affairs and so much of the correspon dence between that envoy and the secre tary of state and between the secretary of war and the general in command on the del norte as are necessary to a full understanding ot the subject james k polk washington may 11th 1816 from the national intelligencer war with mexico declared our readers will learn nine-tenths of them with well-founded alarm and dis may that congress of the uuited states have adopted the war with the republic of mexico in which the president has without their consent or authority involv ed the country ; and that all the best in terests of this people are staked upon the hazard of the die we do not mean of course the hazard of a fierce and bloody w tar with mexico though that will in all probability be found to be no child's play : but the imminent hazard of bringing on a general war by which even in the heated imaginations of those who look upon war as synonymous with glory we cannot expect to be gainers but inevita bly and enormously losers in every sense the entire destruction of our widely ex tended commerce being among the small est of the items to be taken into the esti mate but the loss far more to be deplored than the highest aggregate of all such losses is that to which we find ourselves exposed by this additional evidence of the feebleness of the constitution of the uni ted states which has already become a mere dead letter whenever it comes in conflict with executive power or a party purpose in congress this is not the time however to pursue with the requisite calmness the train of thought into which the events of the two last days are calculated to lead us the mischief is done it will now and hence forward be the business of all good men who still retain an interest in public af fairs to unite their counsels and their ef forts to repair it so far as repair of it be possible and to mitigate the evils before us by every means yet in their power a large proportion of those members of both house of congress voted for the de claration of war did so under an idea wholly erroneous in our opinion—that though unnecessary to measures of de fence the declaration only proclaims a fact they looked only to the provision of men and money to repel invasion which separated from the fatal power now given to the president would not probably have received a single negative vote too late they will find their error and we shall live to see the day when they will deeply re gret having suffered themselves to be de luded or influenced in the manner in which they have been we are rejoiced to learn by this eve ning's mail that captain seth b thorn ton and lieutenant mason with two dra goons had arrived safe in gen*taylors camp captain thornton discovering the am buscade too late to retreat had plunged gallantly through the enemy's ranks and cut his way with his own sword with a boldness and intrepidity that is almost in credible — union of monday night the following is the latest of the series of letters from general taylor which were communicated to congress on mon day last in connexion with the president's message on the subject of our relations with mexico it contains we believe the latest official intelligence from our army on the rio grande : headquarters aemt - i oo pfatios camp near matamoras texas april 26,1846 i have respectfully to report that general arista arrived in matamoras on the 24th instant and assumed the chief command of the mexican troops on the same day he addressed me a communica tion conceived in courteous terms but saying that he considered hostilities com menced and should prosecute them a translation of his note and copy of my re ply will be transmitted the moment they can be prepared i dispatch this by an express which is now waiting i regret to report that a party of dra goons sent out by me on the 21th instant to watch the course of the river above on this bank became engaged with a very large force of the enemy and after a short affair in which some sixteen were killed and wounded appear to have been surroun ded and compelled to surrender not one of the party has returned except a woun ded man sent in this morning by the mex ican commander so that i cannot report with confidence the particulars of the en gagement or the fate of the officers ex cept that captain hardee was known to be a prisoner and unhurt capt thorn ton and lieutenants mason and kane were the other officers the party was sixty-three strong flostilities may now be considered as commenced and i have this day deemed t necessary to call upon the governor of texas for four regiments of volunteers wo to be mounted and two to serve as bot as some delay must occur in col ecting these troops i have also desired he governor of louisiana to send out four egiments of infantry as soon as practi able this will constitute an auxiliary f nearly five thousand men which will e required to prosecute the war with en ergy and carry it as it should be into the memy's country i trust the department will approve my course in this matter and will give the lecessary orders to the staff departments or the supply of this large additional force if a law could be passed authorizing he president to raise volunteers for 12 nonths it would be of the greatest impor ance for a service so remote from sup port as this i am sir very respectfully vour obedient servant z taylor brevret brigadier general u s a com'dg the adj gen of the army washington i < the northern part of texas is settling jp with emigrants from arkansas mis souri illinois tennessee and kentucky the southern middle and western part of texas are filling with emigrants from the southern states and europe a large number of germans are settling in that country they as usual arc huddlinjr together so as to form a foreign embodi ment they will thus retain their foreign prejudices and antipathies so lomr a they thus congregate and form foreign settlements they will never become ame ricanized having in our republic dif ferent languages will deprive us of out american nationality and mar the harmo ny of our republic new era chap parol the word chap pa nil oc curs in the news from texas which w publish this morning as that is rathet a new word with our readers and as i may occur again and is important as if lustrating the '• seat of war we think i proper to say that chapparal is a term ap plied to a species of evergreen thicker composed of the musquit bush matted with vines it generally grows about six or seven feet hish the whole country be tween the nueces river and the ric grande is more or less covered by this chapparal interspersed with salt lakes there is very little fresh water or grass tc be had in any portion of the whole inter mediate distance—.averaging one hundred and fifty miles wide — phil c s gaz the state of public feeling on the re ceipt of the tiews from rio grande at phil adelphia on sunday last was such as we never saw before : a common sensation of deep mortification and settled anger mingled with contempt at the adminis tration of the general government which to carry out a bad purpose would do wrong and continue wrong depending at length upon the feelings of true patriotism in the people that while it de>pises the conduct which brought the nation into its disgrace and those who assisted in it wiil nevertheless stand by the country in i's disgrace and defend every inch that is claimed rather than see reproach and in jury come upon a nation that is sufficient ly injured and subjected to reproach by the incompetency of its rulers i s ga zette a scold foote i • i y n lady said i bave rd of tanar and brimstone you ar the one and the flower c the from ihe wilmington commercial extra of the 15tk deplorable news the exearr victorioi s : : a company of two hundred coin titers cut up — three days later from vera cruz — embarkation vf one thousand i amis iana 1 oluiitecrs to the seat of uur on the mexican frontier we received through a passenger by this morning's steamer whocame direct from new orleans tint startling and heart-rending news had reached that city a few hours before his leaving of a volunteer company composed of 200 brave americans on their march to gen taylor's camp having been in/ercejitedhy the mexicans and in making a gallant defence met with great slaughter and with the excep tion of six of their number who effected liy some means au escape were all either kiiieil or taken prisoners by the enemy should this account prove true point isabel must be in the hands of the mexicans our papers from new oilcans are up to the 9th inst they give no account of this news they however were published on last satur day morning and it did not says the passenger reach the city until late in the itcnim oi that day to-morrow's mail will either confirm or contradict the statement we give it as we receive it sincerely hoping that our informant who has every appearance oi a ceniitmnanilr.it may be relied on may lave been misinformed of the nature of the news received at new or leans the new orleans bulletin of ihe 0th sav that louisiana volunteers to ihe number ot it bout one thousand will embark this afternoon we understand from the barracks below the city for flu seat of war on the mexican fron tier sixteen companies or about l200 ben have now been mustered into ihe service and there are several ready to be received very considerable additions to ihe number may bo looked for from the country as farupas \ icks burg we learn from arrivals yesterday the country is in commotion a considerable num ber of volunteeis were ready at baton rogue and waiting for transportation at alexandria rapides a company was forming anions the best citizens of the parish they will be down we think to-day or to-morrow it also informs us that a detachment of \~. states troops being a portion of the first in fantry airived there on the 1-th from jeffer son barracks missouri they number 242 the officers are as fellows lieut col h wilson commanding detachment of first in fantry company k brevet major j j aber crombie campany e capt a j milter 2d lieut j b plummet brevet j.i lieut r del worth company g capt 1 backus 1st lieut g w l wood a a quartermas ter and assistant orderly sergeant jd lieut s d carpenter company c captain j ii lamonte 1st lieut g barry act adjt jj lieut j c feriet the following is a list of the kentucky vol unteers riflemen capt ii ii stockton 1st lieut win polke d lieut lewis ainelung about 80 strona mustered yesterday audio embark to-day persons who left \ era cruz in the latter part of lasl month represent ihe people of that city as quite prepared for a war with the uni ted slates the military farce ol the place w;is daily increasing the grand castle ot san juan d'ciloa was in admirable order ol defence well mounted well provisioned the guns manned with french and english gun ners and the whole farce amounting to about 3000 men the stores of shot and amunition of all kinds though large was still from time to time added to everything betokening prepare tion for a siege if ail these statements be true it would serin that the mexicans are de termined to make o;ie place at least worth the trouble of taking it we take the fallowing from the bulletin : from vera in/.—by the brig josephine capt robertson fiom \ era cruz we ha'.e ac counts from that place three days later than re ceived by the orleans the long promised revolution in favor of santa anna had not yet taken place nor was there any apparent probability of its occurrence as public attention was entirely engri ssed with the anticipated war with the united s a vs they were not yet aware at vera cruz ol actu al hostilities having broken out on ihe rio bra vo and an attack upon vera cruz this ex pected attack tie military authorities were ac tively preparing to meet there were about two thousand men in the castle of san juan a ulloa and they wer constantly exercised at the guns the whole mexican naval force was lill up the alvarado i • ling the two steamers aid to have been -■ ■ ither to the spanish govern ment or loan english bouse the only american vessels of war at s cios was the john adams the oth'-r had gone to sea there were also an english a french a spanish vessel of war at anchor there | names not reci the english steam rjfirerd was to sail far havana the day al;c-r captain roberts left fthe 27th the only american merchant vessel in port was the saxia gardner from new orleans which had discharged and would sail jr hava na in tour da j -. the : . tract of a letter dated at vera < the 26th u received by a commerci d of this i •• < jen alt uez bas pronounced in the sooth in favor of the '. in '.':••■ meantime calls far a triumverate i f gen sun la anna herrier and 1 . i •• who are to gov ern this country unl iction can lake place lor a president but we have so many ot these pronounciamentos that they do not am mat o anything on lh . the editor and woprietor of the monilt r in mexico was impri soned and sen lo san blass cannon balls we understand says the philadelphia i . s gazette that our town-men messrs savery & co lion founders have re vived an order from government to se ince one hundred tons of cannon bails a considerable decline in the price of stocks ook place in new york on monday on the re reipt of the intelligence that c ingress admitted hat a war between this country an i mexico x ed a still further decline will no doubt take lace wi b'e the l*iesi>..-i.l's procla sation to the same el v • /.'• •' • ..„ . y the