JACK TIER 0r THE FLORIDA REEF - Entered, according to the Act of Congress, in the you 1848, by J. FENIMORE COOPER, fn the clerke office of the District Court for the Northern District of hew ork. rswdr ha k s alre .. a dy appeared in Graham9s M ag azine, under the title of Rose Budd. The change of name is solely the act of the author, and arises from a convictidn that the appellation given in this pub lication ismore appropriate than the onelaid aside. The neckssityof writing to a name, instead of getting it from the incidents of the book itself, has been the r cause of-this departure from the ordinary rules. I . . c. . When this book was commenced, it was generally supposed that the Mexican war would end, after a few months of hostilities. Such was never, the opinion of the writer. - Hehas ever looked forward to a pro tracted struggle and, now that Congress has begun to interfere, sees as little prbbability of its termination, as on the day it commenced. Whence honourable gentlemen have derived their notions of the constitution, when they advance the doctrine that Congress is an American Aulic council, empowerdd to encumber the movements of armies, and, as old Blucher expressed it in reference to the diplomacy of Europe, to spoil with the pen the work achieved by the sword, it is difficult to say more than this, that they do not get them from the constitution itself. It has generally been supposed that the present executive was created . 4 L in order to avoid the very evils of a distracted and divided council, which this new construction has a E direct tendency to revive. But a presidential election has ever proved, and probably will ever prove, stronger . a than ani writtBrifundamental t 4 law. . L U . . YS-riI 2 We have had occasion to-refer oftenyto Mexico ie these pages. It, has been our aim to do so in a kind . . spirit fi r, w r hile we have never doubted that the fac-T tions which have p . o ss . e ssed themselves of the govern-l .. ment in that country. have done us great wrong, wrong that wo . u ld have justified a much earlier appeal to, arms, we have always regarded the class of Mexicans who alone can pro erly be termed the people, as mild, amiable, and disposed to be on friendly terms with us. Providence, however, directs all to the completionof its own wise ends. If the crust which has so long encircled that nation, enclosing it in bigotry and, ignorance, shall now be irretrievably broken, letting in3 light, even Mexico herself may have cause heieafter to rejoice in her present disasrers. It was in this way that Italy has been, in a manner, regenerated the. conqrxests of the French carrying in their train the means and agencies which have, at length, arollsed that glorious portion of the earth to some of its ancient. spirit. Mexico, in certain senses, is the Italy of this continent and war, however ruthless and much to be deplored, may yet confer on her the inestimable blessings of real liberty, and a religion released from f e u dartgce, as well as all other artifices. A word on the facts of our legend. The attentive observer of men and things has many occasions to . note the manner in whlch ordinary lookers on deceive themselves, as well as others. The species of treason portrayed in these pages is no uncommon occurrence and it will often be found that the traitor is the loudest in his protestations of patriotism. It is a pretty safe rule tosuspect the man of hypocrisy who makes a parade of his religion, and the partisan of corruption and selfishness, who is clamorous about the rights of the people...