Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1843-12-27
Hon. a. P. UrsaUE, Secretary of Stale.
Mr.. Jpshur 10 Gen. .4lmon'c.
Drnr,,,.r % Srr
WASHINGTON. December /. Isl

i, }
The undersigned Secretary of State of the IT, States,
has the honor To acknowledge the receipt IF the letter
the | Ith November addressed TO him By General Al
monte, Minister Plenpnteniary and Envoy Exraord'-
nary Of the Mexican Republic, in reply TO the letter
of the undersigned Of the Sth day OF the month.
The Minister of Mexico informs the undersigned that
he has seen with regret that the undersigned has fallen
into grave mistakes IN regard 10 the meaning oil
The Mexican Ministers letter of the I'D of November,
which mistakes, he presumes arc The consequence oil
some error committed the translation Of that letter,
made in this Department A suggestion Of this sort
coming from the Minister OF nation whose language
il different from that Of the United States, could no,
fail put the undersigned upon careful inquiry as TO
The correctness of il. The undersigned regrets that
this has afforded him 10 suppose that the Ian
puane of the Mexican Minister'S letter admits of any
more correct translation into English than that which II
has received II The true meaning oil ihst letter has not
been given, may be owing 10 the difficulty which al
ways exists in giving in one language all the minute
shades Of meaning which may be found in the idiGmac
expressions of another. Be that as il may, The under
signed does not hesitate To take the Mexican Minister
Interpretation OF his own language, given IN his let
ter to which this is reply but he IS OF the time,
compelled 10 declare, that liz does not see, even in this
nterpre tlon, in what respect he has misunderstood
the Mexican Minister.
The first mistake into which the Mexican Minister
tina, the undersigned has fallen, in supposng
that the Government Of Mexico 'imputes 10 one Of
The supreme powers of the American Union unworihy
and the Mexican Minister expressly declares thai
sthe Mexican Government has cast no such lmputa
tlon-quite the contrary; il has manifested its reliance
on the circumspecon and good Judgment of the Anne.
rican Congress" II this be So the undersigned is
quite at loss to know why the Mexican Minister
should have considered il necessary denounce war
the consequence of The anticipated action of the
American Congress II, as he now declares, land a.
Of course he must be understood) he meant only 10
say, that the subject CT the annexation OF Texas to this
Union would be proposed, end in some manner agita-
ted discussed in the American Congress- and #, as
he also declares, he mean, 10 express The sreance Of
his Government on the circumspec ard good udg
ment OF Congress 10 defeat any "unwoIthv views or
designs with regard 10 the territory of Texas, II
would seem that his lnterposlton could not have been
necessary, even IN ms view Of the He either
did or did not anticipate movement The part oil
Congress serious than simple discussion Of the
measure in question. Ii he did, then the undersigned
has not misunderst,o d HIM; if he did not, then the
denuncatlon OF war was wholly gratutons and un-
necessary, because 1t made on contingency
which he himself did not mean TO say was even proba
BILE
Whether the Mexican Minister did or did moi. in his
letter Of The Sd Of November, mean TO mpue II this
Government or some part of it, the design to annex
Texas TO the Mon, the unde:s snsd understand
HIM meaning any thing else his explanatory letter
of the 18th. He avows his suspicion of such design
in his attempt 10 show that he was justified in enter
tanning that suspicion and he does this in the very
passage of his letter in which he endeavors to prove
that the undersigned erred in a,,rbuling such susp
con to him. Why else does he fer 10 the exposition
made by Mr. Adams and other members OF Congress on
the Sd of March last, to The articles in public newspa
pers, and particularly 10 those which appeared in that
which he styles the journal of Government He de-
ca!es that these proofs altogether sufficient for
him. and that he has no need 10 refer TO other circum
stances which, in his opinion, authorize the came con-
cusion.
This conclusion is fortified, in the opinion Of the
Mexican Minister, By the presumption, which he
thinks the circumstances of the Justify that the
articles of which he complains obnoxious and which
appeared in the journal Of the Government" were
published with the knowledge of the undersigned :
The Mexican Minister may moi be aware that in the
United States there is journal Of The Governrne n
If he had known this, he would not probably have
thought II necessary t, allude the presumed agency
conniyance of the American Secretary Of State in
those publications.
The undersigned adverts to this part IF the Mexican
Minister'S letter only to show, that he has msun
ders'ocd the Mexican Minister in this particular He
does not complain that the government OF Mexico
poets that ih's government enieraGs design 10 an
mex Texas TO the Union but he thinks that YVES due
TO this government that nqury should be made through
the proper channels, and in friendly and respectful
spirit, whether tbs government really entertans such
designs or not Without such previous inquiry, the
denuncai'on OF war, the consequence of an attempt
to carry them into execution could no, but be regard
ed as an unnecessary threat These designs were cha
ractersed by the Mexican Minister in terms of obloquy
as strong rs the language OF his county afforded In
the opinion OF this government at least, they were
highly discrsditabe TO the United States and, vet