The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1847-10-25


on his head-neryed him In his hnmbled pride TO
keep forever concealed from the world. Thus the
profound secrets connected with his deep laid schemes
| Of diplomacy, were more unfathomably buried; and
the mysterious medium Of conducting these transac-
tons more vigilany contrived.
| Not until he experienced the great necessity OF
this secret agency did the Executive apply il in all
Its strength. A novice in il, when Gen. Santa Ana
presented his pass to an officer In the Gulf squadron
the bunder Of that act had given to il something Of
n buresque notoriety and the ridicue which II ere
ated occasioned an equally amusing concealment, II
II did not produce as public AN injury, in all subse
quent attempts at diplomacy.
| To the precaution acquired In this school-where
past blunders taught to beforgotten under future
prudence-is toAbe traced the return of Paredes to
Mexico. For TIE ingenuity Of this plan | might
here give the Executive some credit for promising
success In future attempts at graceful intrigue did
not some awkward mistakes make this aGaire as
much matter of public rumor as the other was OF
scandalous notoriety. Let us see how this game
was conducted; and really the Executive has adopt
cd the wes of the adroitly with the arts of
the gamester that am forced from the love but
the necessity to adopt the metaphor ofboth. When he
discovered that Santa Ana was about to checkmate
him on the diplomatic chessboard by skilful move
in his own consummate finesse he used Paredes
emphatically as the king to checkmate Santa Anal
and Senior Atocha, moved from the Presidents
square and placed In skfnl position at Vera Cruz
was employed as the knight whose dexterity was to
play up to the king. That all this is folly know
but II shows TINT the man who had played SO fear
fully with the fortune of his own country was not
full Of counting the consequences Of desperate strug
gle with the desnies Of anotherl After the game is
/ up let us see the position Of parties. $500
flr r. L..
appointment, is dismissed from his post in the Gus
tom-house at Vera Cruz. Another subordinate, who
perhaps was made an innocent victim Of the plot in
order to deceive the public credulty to Its exist
ence by conceang from some Of its chief actors its
design, though leading them adroity into it. suffered
the same penalty. Senior Atocha was drilled for his
sham removal To be seen in the streets of Vera
Cruz with Parades, upon his arrival and afterwards
reported to the authorities WIS the programme pre-
pared for him at Washington. The part which the ndi-
vidua associated with him was expected TO perform
was doubtless better understood by the orginators
Of the plot than the innocent victims themselves.
In all this shufling 1t will be seen that was ne
cessary TO account to the public for want OF official
discretion; dnd with the removal Of two subordi-
mates, the distinguished consul at Havana was made
to bear the brunt of public reprimand. How fur
General Campbell was initiated into the secrets of
this transaction remains yet to be disclosed but 1t
is not reasonable to infer, from his high character
that he was prepared to expect official censure
administered through the Government paper for his
participation in 1t, as equivalent in disgrace for
the honorable privilege OF retaining his consulate
In the absence of all positive information on these
doubtful points, we must reasonably infer that the
design involved in them ALL like all the other plans
Of the Executive was equal to the execution and
~ n n. IL.
It of smuggling Senior Parades, like any other con-
traband revolutionist, into the port OF Havana to-
serve the purposes of the war with Mexico
might here dismiss this tissue Of diplomatic blum
dering and close with the brief space designed to
give to the whole in this analysis of its separate
parts did not one important branch claim the merit
of more extended notice. To this is to be referred
the mysterious mission Of Mr.. Trist. II was not
enough to subserve the secret purposes of this mis-
sion that the gentleman honored with 1t should be
unknown to the country, but the Government paper
to involve the matter in still more obscurity, an
nounced, upon Mr.. Trst's departure, with an nde-
cate interference in his private affairs, that he had
goneto Louisiana TO visit sick brother, and super
intend the management of an estate
This being the declaration of journal which holds
an official relation 10 the Executive its veracity upon
point which called U resort to suberfuge when
the whole truth would be soon disclosed to the pub
lie; the most incredulous man in the country might
have been excused for believing it. But the arrival
Of Mr. Trist at Vera Cruz removed this reasonable
construction, and corrected the mistake of the Gov
ernment paper, while his joining Gen. Scott ut Pue
blu, and his subsequent meeting of the Mexican
commissioners utter the battle Of Cerro Gordo pro-
claimed that he was accredited by the President with
plenipotcntiary powers to negotiate a peace with
i Mexico This connexon with the army in diplo-
matte position placed Mr.. Trist prominently before
the country; and in reply to repeated inquiries us to
his qualifications and public services to entte him
this high mark of official distinction we were told
that he occupied the respectable post Of Chief Clerk
to the Secretary of State, and to the diplomatic dis
tnction Of having held the consulate at Trieste
he added the graceful accomplishment Of speaking
fuentlspthe Spanish language
With these qualifications, to all of which accord
the claim Of every respect reservng only the priy-
cge of an American citizen to speak independently
of public functionaries Mr.. Trist entered upon the
duties Of his responsible Office.
The sacrifice Of SO many, the mysterious dplo-
macy Of President Polk was about to add new
victim; for no sooner had Mi. Trst met Gen. Scott
, than misunderstanding took place between them.
Upon its occurrence 1t was attributed TO punctlious
point of diplomatic and military etiquette, involving
me question HOW veteran sOfuler, the nero Of
many campaigns, and the head Of the army in Mexi-
co, would stand affected to his command by relin-
gushing the honors of his sword TO the new fiedge
dignity of an ambassador. Subsequent disclosures
however, removed the suspicious cause of this diff
Guilty. 80 liable the ire Of an old hero and
, offend the pride of young diplomat and traced II
that prolific source Of evil the Cabinet at WASH
ington. Yesl the Presidents warlike propensities
had invaded during the interim Of battle the tran
guilty Of the camp!
The same profound mystery which envelopes all
the wisdom Of the Executives acts, conceals this
last effort at negotiation and sealed proposals for
peace were the consequence. General Scott who
had triumphantly conducted war which he under
STOOD unwilling to forfeit his hard-earned honors In
conducting negotiation the nature of which he was
kept in ignorance, yet expected to bear the censure
of Its failure while another reserved to claim
the honors Of its success refused forward the pro-
posals. Thus these mysterious documents, which
were intended to pacify the Mexicans, served only
to breed quarrel in which the minister penipoten-
tiary of the United States, most singularly defeating
the purposes Of his mission instead Of negotiating