The Mississippi Creole. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1841-1851, 1848-04-21
The Trist and scott Correspondence.

A portion only of this correspondence has
been laid before COngress-the richest part be-
ing reserved by the President. 1t is exceed
ingly lengthy, as a yankee would say, and
therefore we can only give the summing up Of
the correspondent of the New York Courier
and Enquirer:
"The gist Of the first part of this correspon-
dence consists in the grievance felt by General
Scott that a person Of such small standing as
Mr.. Trist should have been sent down to Mex
leo, to interfere, as he imagined, with bis plan
Of operations and pacifeatian in Mexico. He
conceives Mr.. Trist utterly unfit for his task,
and thanks his stars that he is not degraded by
being associated with him as commissioner.
He complains Of the want Of confidence shown
him by the Administration ever since he left
Washington, and at last demands to be recall
cd as early as the exigencies Of the public ser
vice will permit.
Seen. Scott's enclosures, consisting Of his
correspondence with the Commissioner Trist,
are truly interesting; and constitute a very i'm
portant item. 1t shows that Gen. Scott abso-
lutely refused to forward to the Secretary Of
Foreign Affairs in Mexico, Mr.. Buchanan's
dispatches, handed him for that purpose seal
ed by Mr.. Trist. 1t appears that General
Scott never was acquainted with the contents
Of this despatch, which, nevertheless was
known to Mr.. Trist, and which the latter was
instructed to show Gen. Scott, at the time.
Between Scott and Trist there was from the
beginning the very worst understandings
great ~oficiOus supercili ousness on the part OF
Trist, and unfeigned contempt and disgust on
the part of Scott. The latter seemed to labor
under the impression that Mr.. Trist had re-
ceived from the President the power Of dlcta-
ting an armistice whenever he thought proper,
while he cOntended that time and place for the
conclusion Of it had properly been left to the
discretion Of the Commanding General.
"Gov. Marcy's letters to Gen. Scott show
that, while the conduct Of Mr.. Trist was not
approved of, yet it was deemed proper that
Mr.. Trist, after having concluded a treaty
with Mexico, which treaty being ratified by
the Mexican Congress, required nothing but
the ratification at home, should inform Gen.
Scott of the fact, and demand, in the name OF
the President, an armistice or a cessation Of
hostiIities.
"Gen. Scott, in his letter to Mr.. Trist, does
C,u ;,ot;oo a. tho d;OIouoot;o tolaufa and man
ners of the Commissioner, whom he insists on
calling sthe Clerk of the State Department.
another Marat, Danton and St. Just,' and who,
he thinks, ought to carry a travelling guillo-
tine wherever he goes. Mr.. Trist retallates
on Gen. Scott in his correspondence with Mr.
Buchanan, in which he is almost equally Sc,
we're on Mr.. Polk himself, and fully vindicates,
as far as he Is concerned, the superiority of di-
plomacy over achievements in the field. 1t is
impossible, IS Gen. Scott says, to lind more
perfect specimens of vanity, %conceit, and ILL.,
breeding that are found in Mr.. Trist's official
communications with Gen. Scott. In addition
to this, they are SO prolix that Gen. Scott did
not pretend to read them through himself, but
handed them over to his aids, who communl-
Gated to him their contents on theSmarch from
JaIOPa to Puebla.
"Governor Marcy, in his replies to General
Scott, first seems to try to persuade General
Scott that no disrespect to him was meant by
the Department, or the President; but that he
was wrong in refusing to forward Mr.. Buch-
anan's dispatch to the Mexican Government.
The Secretary of War informed him that the
contents of the dispatch would have been com
municated to him if he had not at once repu-
dated Mr.. Trist, etc. Towards the end he in,
forms him that hisrequest to be recalled would
be acceded to as soon as it should be deemed
consistent with the exigencles of the public
service, of which he should be Informed at the
proper time.
"In regard to the charges preferred by Cen
eral Worth against General Scott, and the de-
mand Of the latter Of a court martial to Try
General Worth for malicious insinuations
and ISLANDERS against the commander OF the ar
nv. Mr.. Marcy, in his letter to General Scott
of the 18th January, l848, dwells on the i'm
possibility Of trying Worth without first *
aiming bis charges against Scott, inasmuch
as the appeal Of an inferior officer from the
decision Of his superior to the President does
not Of itself constitute a crime; and because
If such appeals were punished as insubordina'
tons, it would eventually debar them from
asking for redressOf grievances, and thus de-
feat the ends Of justice. Gov. Marcy objects
also to a court martial now, when SO many OF
fcers are wanted in thu field, perhaps in active
operations against the enemy, and argues thai
a court Of inquiry would answer all the Pur'
poses for the present, and intimating thatif be-
fore that court General Worth were to fail to
make out his charges against General Scott
then a court martial might be convened to Try
/. Worth on scott's charges.
81 give you here the pith of the whole cor
respondence, with the accusations contained
in General scott's letters, and the grounds O.