REFORM AND DEMOCRACY 57 



disagreeable controversy over the trade with 

 the British-American colonies. Parliament, en 

 gaged in revising the Navigation Laws, opened 

 the colonial ports in America to foreign vessels 

 on certain conditions in 1825. The United 

 States refused to accept the conditions, and 

 took ground, both through the Department of 

 State and in Congress, that seemed to question 

 the right of Great Britain to impose restrictions 

 at her discretion on commerce in her own col 

 onies. To Canning and his party this was but 

 another exhibition of the &quot;forwardness, not to 

 say impudence, &quot; that was typical of the Amer 

 ican policy, especially when directed by Adams. 

 It was met therefore by an open and unmis 

 takable snub. An Order in Council closed the 

 West Indian ports absolutely to American ships. 

 The order was issued while Gallatin was on his 

 way to England, for the special purpose of set 

 tling by negotiation this and other questions 

 between the two governments. On his arrival 

 he was met by a flat refusal to discuss in 

 any way the matter of the West Indian trade, 

 and was left entirely in the dark as to the 

 reason for the unexpected attitude of the gov 

 ernment. 



Gallatin s despatches after his arrival, in 



