176 Indiana University Studies 
in North America, and the adoption of proper measures for 
enforcing its rigid observance.®^ 
Altho the American Secretary of State had sketched a 
double role for McLane to play, the latter chose to enact but 
one at a time, and in this case preferred to play the concilia- 
tory role first. Immediately upon the receipt of Van Buren’s 
note, he notified Lord Aberdeen of the passage of the new law 
“emanating from the frank and friendly spirit'' uniformly 
professed by the President. He explained that the law con- 
ceded “in its terms all the power in the regulation of the 
colonial trade", and authorized “the President to confer on 
British vessels all those privileges as well in the circuitous as 
the direct voyage, which Great Britain" had “at any time de- 
manded or desired". In addition he had “the honor also to in- 
form Lord Aberdeen" that Congress had lately passed several 
other laws by which the duties on certain articles of the prod- 
uce of the British West Indies and of Great Britian were 
materially decreased.®^ 
In view of the spirit manifested by the American Govern- 
ment during this negotiation, it is perhaps a matter of little 
wonder that the British Government finally decided to recede 
from its order in council, the more so since it was realized 
that the British North American colonies could still be pro- 
tected against the competition of the United States, and be- 
cause it was further realized that unless Great Britain did 
recede, those same British colonies in North America would 
probably feel the harsh effects of the American retaliatory 
system. 
Consequently, after emphatically stressing its understand- 
ing of the fact that the United States had conceded all that 
Great Britain had ever desired, and that the American people 
had repudiated the stand taken by the preceding administra- 
tion, the British Government prepared to accept the Ameri- 
can propositions. In explanation of its change of front since 
1827 when Gallatin had vainly offered to do practically all that 
McLane had done, the British Government drew a distinction 
between the two situations. Gallatin's proposals, it main- 
tained, were all of them invitations to the British Government 
to pledge itself, hypothetically, to the revocation of the order 
Senate Docs., 21 Cong., 2 Sess., I, No. 20, p. 40. 
40, 41. 
