164 



Marvellous indeed 1 So then this wonder-working and ternblo 

 proposal, this portentous sacrifice of the peace, comfort, and safety 

 of the western world, was actually made in full conference with 

 the British plenipotentiaries, not by a majority, but by a minority, 

 of the American mission. And Mr. Bayard, who haj changed his 

 mind, stood by, and saw the proposal made, heard it discussed, 

 saw it entered on the protocol as the proposal of the American 

 plenipotentiaries, and afterwards signed a letter declaring be had 

 no objection to it ; while all the time he was not for, but against it. 

 And Mr. Clay and Mr. Russell, who from before the 10th of No- 

 vember had known the change of Mr. Bayard's mind, they too, 

 witnessed this insolent usurpation, by the minority, of the name 

 and rights of the whole mission, without daring to avow an objec- 

 tion to it either in the presence of, or in correspondence with, the 

 British plenipotentiaries, or in the meetings of the mission itself. 

 Mr. Bayard contents himself with whispering his dissatisfaction tO 

 Mr. Clay and Mr. Russell ; and they, instead of vindicating the in- 

 sulted rights of the majority, reserve it as a secret, which Mr. Rus- 

 sell, seven years after the death of Mr. Bayard, divulges to the 

 world. 



The anecdote is an outrage on the memory of Mr. Bayard. Mn 

 Clay will not respond affirmatively to the appeal of Mr. Russell. 

 i have no occasion for appealing m this case to the recollection of 

 any one. I speak not only from the express and positive testimony 

 of the joint despatch of 25 December, 1814, but from the record 

 of a private diary, kept by me at the time, in which are minuted 

 from day to day, with all the accuracy and detail in my power, the 

 proceedings as well of the mission, as of both missions in their con- 

 ferences : and I now affirm, that on the 28th of November, 1814, 

 after a discussion of more than fi\e hours, in which every member 

 of the mission, except Mr. Russell, took part, a vote was taken 

 ijpon the proposal of Mr. Gallatin, to accept the proposed altera- 

 tion of the 8th article of the project, presented by the British 

 plenipotentiaries, relating to the navigation of the Mississippi, ad- 

 ding to it a counter stipulation for securing the fishing liberties 

 within exclusive British jurisdiction ; that a majority of the mis- 

 sion voted for this proposal, and that Mr. Gallatin should prepare 

 for consideration the next day, an amendment to the 8th article con- 

 formably ; — that on the 29th of November Mr. Gallatin did pro- 

 duce this amendment, which, after another long discussion, was 

 agreed to, and was the same offered to the British plenipotentiaries, 

 as appears by the protocol of the 1st of December, 1814. It w^as 

 to this vote of the majority, and to this alone, that the joint des- 

 patch of 25 December, 1814, referred ; and it was to this vote, 

 thus stated upon the face of the despatch, that Mr. Russell referred 

 in his separate letter of the same date, when he said that he had 

 been on that occasion in the minority. Yet it was not without rea- 

 .son that in my former remarks upon his letters I said, he gave, it 

 i/wy he, a «ilei)t vote against the proposal : for, from the minutes 



