On the 20th July, 1836, shortly after the victoiy of San Jacinto, and the captivity of the President of Mexico, the Secretary of State sent to Mr. ElHs, our Minister, a list of fifteen complaints against the Repubhc, accompanied with the strange acknowledgment that " the Department is not in possession of proof of all the circumstances of the wrong done in the above cases, as represented by the aggrieved parties." The Cabinet deemed it expedient to prefer the complaints without loss of time, and to seek afterwards for proof to establish them.
But the most extraordinary part of this procedure, and which reveals the anxiety of the Government to bring on a rupture with Mexico, is the course prescribed to ElHs. He is ordered to demand such reparation " as these accu- mulated wrongs may be found to require." If no satis- factory answer shall be given in three iveehs, he was to announce, that, unless redress shall be aflforded without unnecessary delay, his further residence would be useless.
If this threat proved unavailing, he was to notify the Government that, unless a satisfactory answer was re- turned in two vjeeks, he should ask for his passport, and at the expiration of the fortnight, he is to return home, if no satisfactory answer is received. The Mexican Minister had already, for the reasons we have stated, left Wash- ington ; and here we see a contrivance for withdrawing our Minister from Mexico in a manner liigb^'' irritating and iiisulting. All diplomatic relations between the tAvo coun- tries being thus interrupted, and for the alleged reason that Mexico had refused to pay our just demands, the way- would be open for reprhaU, and consequently %oar would follow.
It will be observed, too, that the responsibility of taking the momentous step which was almost necessarily to lead to hostilities, was