Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1847-07-23
DEPARTMENT OF SrArr.

OEPARTMENT OF STATr
Washington. April IS To-.
Dir nave the honor to acknowl.SH
receipt OF your excellency's note. ~ ..o1gs u.
February last, In answer TO mine Of NE 22I
January, proposing. on the mart Of e a The lsS
dent of the United States, immed;s.o, ,ne Pes.
sspatch. either to the Havana or Jalsn!y o%s.
Mexican Government may prefer oph as &s
OF our most distinguished citizens o a." OF mo-,
sloners, clothed with full powers t 20 eONnis
treaty of peace with similar COM e:oncud,
on the part of Mexico, as soon as sba SSone,
officially informed that the Mex;cssnne shalb /
ment VIII appoint such commissiona.I sHoVsn
The President deeply regrets the rs.
the Mexican government to aeceaa essal
friendly overture, "unless the ra;s;e 70 &s
blockade of our (the Mexican> n op.ug Of&s
complete evacuation of the terr;t rU,@' and Ia
public by the invading forces, shall h h, 'AeN
ously accepted as preliminary cond;,;. prev.
The President has instructed me- ~ ;;
you that this preliminary condition. inioA
ly lnadmlsslble. Such a condition !. S@aoI
required by the honor, nor sanctiona % lleltha
practice of nations. If it were th;s og&a
tend to prolong wars, especially botm .s SOult
termlnous countries, until the one q, ~. Con-
power was entirely subdued NJ ~e olhe
which. at the expenditure of blood sna nation
ure, has invaded its enemy,s con aaa treas,
acquired possession of any copsdsraS LH and
ton OF his territory, could ever l roU p0I'
withdraw its forces, as preliminary o " 10
to the opening of negotiations for n.a condition
would be at once to abandon all ,bo a.s, his
ges it had obtained in the nrosoor ,.e aoVanta.
war, without any certainty that n alOn Of The
result from the sacrifice. Nav I pe"ce would
such a negotiation prove nnsn n.ole; should
nation which had thus imprudently w;tb5,, Inc
Its forces from the enemy's territory I nn;vI
not be able to recover, without cos; 81 IIlsat
and treasure equal to that first eynenSa5 S'o o
advantageous position which it had yolnn,s "e
Fortunately for the cause of n.,co,,
mainly, the history of nations at war ns. NJ
no sanction 10 such preliminary coDd;G Gtr'
he United States are as Jealous Of tbs;r vi
'ionai nonol as any power on the face Of n.
EARN ana yet 1t never entered into tho coD
!empiaton OF the great statesmen who adm"
lstered our government during the Dsr;od III
our last war with Great Britain. 70 ;ps;st ~ VI
the latter should relinquish that part Of on'
territory of which she was in actual no.S wi
son. before they would consent to open NJ,
gotlatlons for peace. On the contrary, th.y
took the initiative, and appointed commission.
ers to treat for peace whilst portions Of nm,
country were held by the enemy; and # is,
remarkable fact, that the treaty OF Client va,
concluded by the plenipotentiaries OF the tr r'
powers whilst the war was raging on bo,S
sides; and the most memorable OF the cona;cta
TO which it gave rise took place upon our own
soil after the negotiators had happily termip,.
ted their labors. History is full of such sI.
amples. Indeed, so far as the undersignedn
aware, there is not to be found, at least in
modern times, a single case, except the pres.
ent, in which it has been considered nee.s.
sary preliminary that an invading army shca6
be withdrawn before negotiations for peacs
could commence between the parties to tho
! war.
1t would, also, be difficult to find a prec..
dent for the course pursued by the Mexican
government in another particular. The Pre-.
sident, anxious to avoid the war now existing
sent a minister of peace to Mexico for this
purpose. After the Mexican forces had at
tackled the army of Gen. Taylor on this side
of the Rio Grande, and thus commenced the
war, the President, actuated by the same pa
cltlc spirit, made repeated overtures to the 90.
vernment of Mexico to negotiate for its termi.
nation; and although he has, from the begin
ming, solemnly declared before the world that
he desired no terms but such as were Just and
honorable for both parties, yet the Mexican
government, by refusing to receive our minis.
ter in the first place, and afterwards by not
acceding to our overtures to open negotiations
for peace, has never afforded TO this govern
ment even the opportunity of making known
the terms on which we would be willing to
settle all questions in dispute between the two
republics. The war can never end whilst
Mexico refuses even to hear the proposals
which we have always been ready to make
for peace.
Thd President will not again renew the Of
fer to negotiate-at least until he shall have
reason to believe that it would be accepted
by the Mexican government. Devoted, how
ever, to honorable peace, he is determined that
the evils of the war shall not be protraced
one day longer than shall be rendered abso'
lutely necessary by the Mexican republic
For the purpose of carrying this determine
ton into effect with the least possible delay,
he will forthwith send to the headquarters OF
the army, in Mexico, Nicholas P. Trst, esq
the officer next in rank to the undersigned IN
our Department of Foreign Affairs, as COM
missioner. invested with full powers to con-
clude a definite treaty of peace with the Uni
ted Mexican States This gentleman posses
ses the entire confidence of the President, anC
is eninently worthy OF that of the Mexican
government.
The undersigned refrains from all common
upon the concluding paragraph, as well a
some other portions, of your excellency's note
because the strong sense which he entertain
lilttluai1sil iisaAiaa6aI n1lnautIpited State