HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



257 



and difficulty, being placed be- 

 tween the alternative of suffering 

 the most injurious imputations on 

 the honour and good faith of his 

 country to pass unnoticed, or of 

 vindicating them at the risk of 

 giving offence to the American 

 government. 



The unaccommodating firmness 

 of Mr. Jackson was contrasted 

 with the amiable pliancy of Mr. 

 Erskine. It served the political 

 views of the American ministers, 

 to nourish the popular prejudice 

 against him. It was not to be ex- 

 pected that, in such circumstances, 

 be should succeed in his negotia- 

 tion. From subsecuent informa- 

 tion it is now known to have been 

 absolutely impossible, upon the 

 terms of his instructions. It could 

 not, however, be foreseen that his 

 mission would terminate, as it did, 

 in the suspension of all official 

 communication between him and 

 the government to which he was 

 deputed, and in the adoption by 

 the national or representative, the 

 legislative, and the executive 

 branches of the government, of all 

 those measures and denunciations 

 of personal obloquy and insult 

 which had, till then, been appa- 

 reiitiy confined to the populace, 

 and the papers calculated for 

 their perusal. 



The British government consi- 

 dered the transaction between the 

 United States and Mr. Erskine, as 

 terminated by the formal and 

 public disavowal of the envoy's 

 authority to do what he had done, 

 and Mr. Jackson was directed to 



take the business up where the 

 disavowal had left it, and to pro- 

 ceed on the terms which were 

 anew prescribed to him. But the 

 president thought it proper to call 

 repeatedly on Mr. Jackson for an 

 explanation of the disavowal. This 

 gentleman declared, that the dis- 

 avowal was occasioned by Mr. 

 Erskine's deviations from his in- 

 structions. He took occasion, at 

 the same time, to contradict a sur- 

 mise that Mr. Erskine had other 

 instructions besides those that 

 were laid before parliament, and 

 had been communicated. Unfor- 

 tunately for Mr. Jackson, though 

 otherwise for the cause intrusted 

 to him, he discovered that Mr. 

 Erskine had so far adhered to his 

 instructions, as to propose to the 

 acceptance of the American mi- 

 nister the conditions contained ia 

 them ; and that it was owing only 

 to his subsequent relinquishment 

 of them, that all the present em- 

 barrassments arose. The Ameri- 

 cans therefore had no right to ex- 

 press so much surprise at the 

 agreement not being approved in 

 England, But Mr. Jackson, who 

 did not scruple to say so, was told 

 that he had insulted the govern- 

 ment, and that no further commu- 

 nication would be received . from 

 him. It was asserted that he had 

 reproached the American govern- 

 ment with knowing, at the time 

 of their making the agreement 

 with Mr. Erskine, that he was ex- 

 ceeding his powers. He had, in- 

 deed, abundant reason to do so. 

 It is, nevertheless, most certain. 



Trorks. Between the compositions that have issued from the press, since the late 

 ■dawnings of liberty in Spanish America, and those of the United States, there is a 

 Btriking contrast. The South Americans write with as much freedom and anima- 

 tion as their brethren of the United States, but manage their subject with infinitely 

 more dignity and decorum, as well as with more enlarged views of the nature of 

 goveniment and general politics. 



Vol. Lll. S 



