332 PAREDES PRESIDENT OUR MINISTER REJECTED. 



ciation. The principal argument against the reception of our 

 minister was, that his commission constituted him a regular envoy, 

 and that, he was not confined to the discussion of the Texan ques- 

 tion alone. Such a mission, the authorities alleged, placed the 

 countries at once, diplomatically, upon an equal and ordinary foot- 

 ing of peace, and their objection therefore, if it had any force, at 

 all, was to the fact, that we exhibited through the credentials of 

 our envoy, the strongest evidence that one nation can give to 

 another of perfect amity ! We had, in truth, no questions in dis- 

 pute between us, except boundary and indemnity; — for Texas, as 

 a sovereignity acknowledged by the acts, not only of the United 

 States and of European powers, but in consequence of her own 

 maintenance of perfect nationality and independence, had a right to 

 annex herself to the United States. The consent of Mexico to ac- 

 knowledge her independence in 1845, under certain conditions, 

 effectually proved this fact beyond dispute. 



Whilst the correspondence between Slidell and the Mexican 

 ministry was going on, Paredes continued his hostile demonstra- 

 tions, and, on the 30th of December, 1845, president Herrera, who 

 anxiously desired to avoid bloodshed, resigned the executive chair 

 to him without a struggle. Feeble as was the hope of success with 

 the new authorities, our government, still anxious to close the con- 

 test peacefully, directed Mr. Slidell to renew the proposal for his 

 reception to Paredes. These instructions he executed on the first 

 of March, 1846, but his request was refused by the Mexican 

 minister of foreign affairs, on the twelfth of that month, and our 

 minister w r as forthwith obliged to return from his unsuccessful 

 mission. 



All the public documents, and addresses of Paredes, made during 

 the early movements of his revolution and administration, breathe 

 the deadliest animosity to our union. He invokes the god of bat- 

 tles, and calls the world to witness the valor of Mexican arms. 

 The revolution which raised him to power, was declared to be 

 sanctioned by the people, who were impatient for another war, in 

 which they might avenge the aggressions of a government that 

 sought to prostrate them. Preparations were made for a Texan 

 campaign. Loans were raised, and large bodies of troops were 

 moved to the frontiers. General Arista, suspected of kindness to 

 our country, was superceded in the north by General Ampudia, 

 who arrived at Matamoros on the 11th of April, 1846, with two 

 hundred cavalry, followed by two thousand men to be united with 

 the large body of soldiery already in Matamoros. 



