! THE SPANISH TITLE ONCE MORE.
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Our friend "a. B." OF the Inelligencer insists
that there cannot be two complete titles to one and
the same thing, and that Mr.. Buchanan, by stating
that our title to the valley Of the Columbia, under
our own explorations and discoveries, was complete
before the Florida treaty. virtually denied the valid


ty Of the Spanish title. "a. B." does not appear to
be aware that the secretary limits his remark by
the clause against Great Britain, although the
qualification is contained in the passage quoted by
himself from Mr.. BIS correspondence. Having,
by the omission of this clause, substituted a new
proposition Of his own for that Of the secretary he
proceeds to refute the that he has himself laid
down, and succeeds, apparently, very much to his
own satisfaction.


This is a method, which was not unfrequently en-
ployed by Frsnch writer of the last century, more
renowned for brilliancy than soundness OF logic.
when Voltaire wishes to refu,e a book" said
Montesquieu che writes another book, and then re-
flutes the book which he has himself written" But
what after all, does man gain by refuting himself
instead of his opponent


That there may be two or more complete titles to
he thing, as against different parties is far
from being impossible, that it is thing of daily oc-
currence. The present Emperor of Russia had a
complete title to the throne during the life of his
two elder brothers, against his younger brother
and the world at large. At the same time, the En-
peror Alexander and the Grand Duke Constantine
had complete titles, as against him. Here were
three complete titles, against different parties, to
the same thing. Alexander des Constantine cedes
his rights to Nicholas, (precisely the present case)
Nicholas now possesses a perfect title against the
world but Michael, his younger brother, has, at
the same time, a perfect title against every
body but Nicholas And so of thousand other
cases of similar kind.


Mr.. Buchsnan's argument is in substance this:
"We affirm the validity Of the Spanish title, which
covers the whole ground from the Mexican to the
Russian boundary. We are aware, however, that
you deny this title to be valid, and we, therefore,
add for your greater satisfaction that meeting you
on your own ground, and admitting that the Span
ish claim is good for nothing, we have STILL as
agains. you, by virtue of our own explorations and
discoveries, perfect title to the valley of the Co
lumbia."


This, we imagine will be considered by most
persons as fair argument; and we are rather
prised that either Mr.. Pakenham, or "a. B."
should expect to gain anything by treating it as
sophist ical. But we deem it unnecessary to pursue
the subject further