The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1821-1823, 1822-07-03
dated 10Th October, 1914, and contain

Ing the following passages -.
sit has been jutgcl proper 10 COM
municate to Congress SO much of the
instructions given to you by this De-
partment, as would show the terms on
which you were authorized to make
peace. These, as well as your commu-
nications, have been printed, and sever
al copies are now forwarded to you, as
It IS believed they may be usefully dis
posed of in Europe. Should any cir
cumstance have unexpectedly prOlong-
ed the negotiation, and you find the Brit
ish Commissioners disposed TO agree TO
the status ante bettam, you will UNDER
stand that you are authorized to make
il the basis Of a treaty.
Now, the status ante beli,m, upon
which we were thus expressly and une-
quivocally permitted to conclude a trea-
ty, included not only the recognition of
the entire treaty ofpeace ofI783, but the
revival of the FIRST ten articles Of the trea-
ty OF 1874; not only the freedom, to the
British 10 navigate the Mississippi, but
free ingress INTO our territories, and>free
trade with our lndians.-And so entirely
was that part OF, the instructions of 18th
April, 1918, now cited by Mr.. Russell,
considered by the President as cancelled,
that ii was omitted from that copy,
which had been communicated TO Con-
gress, of $50 much of the instructions
as would show The terms on which we
were authorized TO make. peace and
OF which several printed. copies were
thrs forwarded TO US. (See Watts State
Papers, DOL. 8, p. 359-358.)
twas scarcely possible that, within
the. COMPASS of one week, Mr.. Russell
should have forgotten the receipt of the
instruction of 10Th October, 1914, fresh
from Washington; nor at all possible
that he should have considered us as
then bound by the instruction of April,
1873. to which, in his duplicate, he now
so emphatically refers. The nth ofEeS.
1915, was yet 80 recent to the. date of
the conclusion Of the treaty, flat in
writing the original OF his letter, the
recollection of the new Instructions of
October, 1915, had doubtless not escap-
ed him. But when the duplicate was
written, other views had arisen; and
their aspects are discovered in the as-
gravatfon OF charges against the memo
ry Of a dead, and the character of living
colleagues.
Mr.. Adams observes, that /" the vehement
objections to the proposed article which, in
the duplicate, appears to have made so deep
an impression on his (Nlr. Russell's) MUD, had
as litsie been made known to his colleagues at
the time Of the discussions at Client, as they
appear to have been to himself when writing
the 0uginaL of the same letters
It appears by Mr.. Adans's statement, that
the proposal to the British Plenipotcntiaries,
respecting the navigation of the Mississippi,
was made, not by majority, but by the
whole OF the American mission, including Mr..
Russell. In their letter to the British mission,
referring to the article in question, they saw,
To such an article, which they viewed as
merely declaratory, the undersigned had no
objection, and have offered to accede - and
to that letter the name of Mr.. Russell is SUBJ
scribed.
Besides the memorable variations be-
tween the original and duplicate of tbs
letter of 18th February, 1915, which
has been exhibited in parallel passages
extracted from them, there are others
not less remarkable. In the course of
the duplicate, the total and unqualified
abandonment of the rights Of the poor
fishermen is compensated by an eloquent
panegyrick upon their usefulness to the
country--their hardy indastry--their
magllanmoss enterprise, and their pat
rfOtick self-devotiea. Little of this ap-
pears in the original and that little in
the after-thought Of a postscript. To-
wards the close of the duplicate, the
spirit of prophecy takes possession of
the writer. By his sstrust in God. and
in the yalour of the West,7 he foresees
the victory Of General Jackson at New
Orleans. He 'feresees the convention
between the United States and Great
Britain, of October, 1918. In the orig.
NAL there is no prophecy--no s. trust in
God, and the vdour of the West.''
Mr.. Adams next proceeds 10 statement OF
| the several points which it was the object OF
Mr.. Russell, in the two copies of his letter. to
prove, but it is not necessary to recapitulate
them here.
"The whole letter. says Mr.. Adams,
Us a laberious tissue of nisrepresensa-
lion. OF every part Of its subject Of the
conduct and sentiments of his colleagues
who constituted the majority Of the mis-