Mr. Lowndes presumed the House would have no objection to 

 obtaining the information alluded to, if it were proper to make it 

 public ; but he thought it would be proper to leave the President, 

 in the form of the request, the option of communicating such of 

 the correspondence only as he might deem it not improper to dis- 

 close. This was the usual form adopted by the House, and, al- 

 though peace had taken place, there might be some parts of the 

 correspondence which it would be improper to publish. An un- 

 limited call for all the information in the possession of the govern- 

 ment on the subject, might create some embarrassment, and he 

 hoped the mover of the resolution would restore it to its original 

 shape. 



Mr. Floyd was unwilling, by any act of his, to embarrass the 

 executive ; but presumed there was nothing asked for in this reso- 

 lution which would have that effect, and feeling anxious to obtain 

 all the information on his subject which could be furnished, he pre- 

 ferred the motion in its present form. If the motion would reach 

 any state secret — admitting there ought to be any state secrets in 

 this government — he wished not to be instrumental in disturbing 

 it ; but he anticipated no such consequence. 



Mr. Lowndes rejoined, in substance, that although five or six 

 years had elapsed since the restoration of peace, it did not follow- 

 that all that passed in the negotiations was proper for publication. 

 Some parts of the correspondence it might be incompatible with 

 the public interest to disclose to the world ; at any rate it was pro- 

 per to except such as the President might deem the public good 

 required him to withhold. Mr. L. therefore moved to amend the 

 resolution by restoring the words, " a?id which, in his opinion, it 

 may not he improper to disclose.''^ 



Mr. Floyd thought there was, in reality, no difference between 

 himself and the gentleman from South Carolina. If the gentleman 

 was apprised of any thing which it was improper to communicate 

 to the House, to be sure that would be a different matter ; but if 

 his remarks were general, and had reference to no particular facts 

 in the correspondence, there was no reason for the amendment. 

 The question being taken, the amendment was agreed to ; and 

 Thus amended, the resolution was adopted, and a committee of 

 two appointed to carry it to the President. 



On this debate it was observable that the mover of the resolu- 

 tion had struck out the usual exception, which had been in his 

 draft of it presented the day before, of such papers as in the Pre- 

 sident's opinion, it might be improper to disclose ; and had added 

 the words " together with the protocol, ^^ which had not been in the 

 original resolution. The words of exception were restored, after 

 debate upon the motion of Mr. Lowndes. The inferences natu » 

 rglly drawn from these circumstances were, that in the day's inter- 



