that the Government itself loas well dis2)0sed to arrange all difficulties.''^ These assurances of the friendly dispositions of the Gov- ernment, and their earnest solicitation foi* a little delay, till those dispositions could be sanctioned and supported by the Congress about to assemble, seemed to have confirmed Mr.
Shdell in his resolution to /orce matters to extremities ; and accordingly, without waiting for the report of the Commit- tee, he dispatched another letter on the ensuing Monday to the Secretary", requiring to know when he might expect an answer to his first, and declaring, what was absolutely false, that '' he is necessarily ignorant of the reasons Which have caused so long a delay." The "long delay" was precisely seven days, and within that time he had been twice officially informed through the Consul of " the rea- sons" of the delay. To this letter an answer was returned, stating that the delay complained of, had arisen from cer- tain difficulties arising from the nature of his commission, compared with the character of a negotiator to treat on the subject of Texas, whom the United States had pro- posed to send to Mexico ; that the subject had been sub- mitted to the Council of Goverament, and that the result would be communicated to him without loss of time. The next day, 1 7th December, Mr. Slidell wrote to the Gov- ernment at Washington, detailing the progress of the nego- tiation thus far. It will be observed, that up to this date he had neither been received, nor refused, and in this very- letter he remarks that " the impression hero among the best informed persons is, that the President and his Cabi- net are really desirous to enter frankly upon a negotiation which would terminate all their difficulties with the United States." The day after this letter was received at Wash- ington, peremptory orders were sent to General Taylor to march to the Rio Grande ; and this order, necessarily cal- culated and obviously intended to bring on a war, has been vindicated on the ground, that the Mexican Government had refused to treat with Mr. Slidell !