Communications: The Great Southern Scheme: For The Signal Of...

In the account given last week of the oggreseve movement8 of our army upon the Mnxicans, ', left Gen. Taylor bofore the walls of Matamoras. Whcn the pcople ol that vieinity. hcard hat lic was udvancing u hostile arry, they rcmonstraied most carno6tly, ond yet in a very lignified inonncr. Sorne milus before reaching ?oint Isabel, he waa met by u civil eputatioii earing a whito flag Irom Madmorns. They roüíiht with ihcm a formnl protest, of the Piefect of the Northern District, of Taminlipaa ag.iinst his occupn'.ion of that country. "The citizens of this District," eays thiffdocïment "ín tliecxercisc of the natural rihts of self defence, proiost tlirough iheir orean in tha most fo!emn foim, thnt neiiher now nor at any me do they consent to ssparnre themsolvps from he Mcxican Republic and unite thcmselves tohe North. The nhabitanta must, whaicver rofessionsof pcace you employ, regard you a openly comtnitting hostilitiea." We infer from thia, that il was the desigh o( our Government, through the agency of the army oínecra, to perpétrate anolher Texas maneu-vrc liy inducing us mooy a possible of tbc nlabitanisof ea&tern Mexico to gecede, and annex themselves under the jrotection of tlie ormy. to this fret repubüc. They Jiubilcss had ins'ructions first 10 malee overtures of tliis kind. but it' not snccee6siul, then !o "congucr peace." Wiitn Gen. Tayior advanced-very neirMataraoras, Ampndin, General of the Mcxican forces, in the name of bis Government, demanded of him, tiiat he would stay euch hos'.ile measures, thathe would nt any rate, rctiTe aniil tlie question of boundnry shotild bc settled, between tho two Governmcnts. " Jf" said he "you persist in remaining iipon tho s'-il of the Djpartmcnf öfTomanlipaa, it mustcortainly rcsult that ornis, and arnis olone must deciJe thequestion." Tdo nnswer of Taylor was. 'The instructiorm under which I am now octing, will not permit nis to retrograde from the posYion 1 now occupy." And al) ïhe eiiireatie?, and remor.3tranc;s - to" all the argumenta showing the injosiice of lúa conrse - tlie substance of his answers was '; I must obey my insiructions." Tes.no doubt the inslructions he had from Vasilington had but Uttle reference to ihc riijlits or claims of thevideu lerntory. Henee he very wcll undc-rstood tliai il wculd be useless work for Lim (o attempt any defence of his mcasures. li obcy instructiuns," was uniformly his responss. Ho msrehes under the "'Right or Wrong'' banner. Let U9 now notice what steps !:e tnok, after gaining tliis posiüon, to bring on the reicoun:ro whcih was tho keginning of active hostilities, nnd which our President and his pariy would have us believe, was aüowing to the perveisity of tho Mexicans. He first brought hiar:illery to bear immediately upon Matamorua: thea ho blockadad tbe mouth of ihe Rio Grande, to cut off the 6uppl;es of the city, and not sstisfied wiih this, a direct attack was made upon soms of tho Mexicana by a small compony under Cnpt. Thorman. In a despa;c) written by Gen, T. obout this linie his plan is cxplained. "On our side " said }ie, "a battery of four 13 pounders uill bo complcied and ihe guns placod in batlery lo-dny. Th:se gvns bear dve:tl-j vpon the public square rf Mat%moras, and rcit'iin good range for demoHshhig Ihz toxen. Their object cannot bc mistaken by l'ic enemy." Soon arter. as he eays. in order 'tocompel the Mexicans either to withdraw thcir army {rom píatamoraa. or to assume tl:e offensïve on this sidc of the river," Ue blockadcd tüe mouih of :i c river. On the 2-J:h of April, only a few daya following these prep.irations, o slighi skirmish occurred in which a few vvcre killed and woundcd. the whole blame of which our President endeafored' o throw upon the Mt-sicans, cnlüng tiiéni th nggrrssorc.. &c. As soon a3 the news reached Washington, 't furnished an occasion 10 th . President, which he ardotrly designed.. 10 publish lo tlio country, a declaration, onnonncing tho ex-' iiience of a war. and to ?end toCongrcsa a mos-sagc r.skin liberal appropriations lo piosecuto it. Tiicre documents'of his, in view oí the facto, re in.iced singular, cspcciolly so, coniing from one wlio being at head-qanrters, ought to know tlie true s.ate ofthing. 1 can net how vertíonvenicnlly lay my hand upon liia tnessage3. but all who hnve read ihem, will rearfily reniember how he. wiih rent preiensions to lionesry, represenis the Méxicans as boing wholly at faul:, and otir soldier8i9 vory innocen'iy repelling their a!tnc!;s. But impartial hisiory will jet give anoihér version to tbe matter. The truth liow oooa fiinnnliy leak8 out. Noi lonrr since, e letter to a inetnbcr of Conirtís5,- from on ihteliigent mernber of tho army', was published in tho National Intcliigencer, in which occars ihis naraüranh.The Presidcni in liis message of ihe llth of May Mys, "Amcricnn blooJ h;is beon shed on American soil," aiiuding t tho allnirs thnt (ook )lace on tho 24th ol April betv.ee.i ihe cJrngoori under the command of CaptainVThornton nnd -lardee, in vhich-some were killed, and theotkers Ui kon piisoners by the Mexicans. Thero s much to be said on the quostion, vvliether it is rightful y American soil. where this-"ofiair too. place: but certaia it is that aa soon as Capt. Thm-nton was given up Ly the Mxicans on ths lOih or llthof May, he was put under arrest b Gon. Taylor for di$oneyin his orders wbile oa that oxpefiiiion, nnd [::iging on tktU Jight con trory to their wishes. Hú is nou under arreM, acircum?.:arc& I huve not feeo rrjcn:ioned in a public ninnner." He has boen reeantly iried Ly Courr Martial, sone üccuun'8 of wbic'i haaarrived. In his Ieicaco l:e ia rcporied o havo taid- 'tbat iir-diö p3rionncp.C6 o :ho üc: for whïch ho wís li'ed - raohnes? or precipi t;mcv - he d:í not p tbnambor ofih ecemy: aii he snü wan, tho Mes.