Benns: British West India Carrying-Trade 159 
and seriousness, the Opposition forces proceeded to attack the 
Administration directly and in various ways for bringing this 
situation about. Merchants were said to be ‘‘groaning under 
the loss of a trade’' which had formerly been of great benefit 
to them, a trade which had been “lost — not to say sacrificed 
by the administration”, in fact not only lost but “actually 
thrown . . . into the hands of rivals”.^^® Why had this 
trade been sacrificed? Because of the Administration’s “rul- 
ing passion for diplomacy”. “Instead of settling the ques- 
tion by law during the last winter, they wished to assume the 
credit of deciding it by diplomacy”. Adams had been 
“too confident of his skill in diplomacy to close the negotiations 
by a frank and manly acceptance of the terms offered by Great 
Britain”. Thus had the trade been lost! 
This was the chief fault of the Administration, but it was 
by no means the only one. The “blunders of the government” 
in handling this question were ascribed to various other un- 
complimentary causes, foremost among which, perhaps, stood 
“the negligence and imbecility of the ‘practical statesman’ of 
the ruling party”. President Adams, they declared, “sent 
out old Mr. King to negotiate, but forgot to give him any 
instructions, so intent was he and his Secretary of State at 
home arranging the State elections”.^'® “Had not this nego- 
tiation been retarded by, and made subservient to executive 
electioneering, a treaty might have been concluded with the 
English before they had had time to change their mind, on 
terms highly advantageous to the American People.”^^® In 
letters which appeared the Administration was attacked for its 
“undignified, unstatesman-like manner” of conducting this 
particular business, for being “grossly ignorant of the char- 
acters and duties of those with whom they were treating”, 
for its “folly”, “impolicy and imbecility”, and its “pertina- 
cious continuance in error”.^^^ 
National Palladium quoted in Balthnore Republican, July 7, 1827. Neiv York 
Evening Post quoted in Richmond Enquirer, May 29, 1827. Connecticut Herald, Feb. 
26, 1828. 
Richmond Enquirer, June 29, 1827, and May 22, 1827. Neiv Hampshire Patriot, 
Sept. 24, 1827. Philadelphia Gazette, June 7, 1827. 
Richmond Enquirer in St. Christopher Gazette, May 18, 1827, 
Connecticut Herald in United States Telegraph, Oct. 1, 1827. 
American Statesman (Boston), Jan. 6, 1827. 
^'^Neto Hampshire Patriot, Sept. 24, 1827. 
American Statesman, Jan. 6, 1827. 
Writer in a New York paper quoted in St. Christopher Advertiser, May 29, 1827. 
Writer in Richmond Enquirer, Sept. 28, 1827. 
