Page:History of the War between the United States and Mexico.djvu/432

380 Mr. Trist to communicate with his government. The insincerity of the professions of the Mexican authorities in relation to their desire to conclude a peace, was now made manifest; but, on the 6th of September, their Commissioners, aware that they must submit some formal proposition, in order to preserve appearances, presented to Mr. Trist a counter-projét, in which it was required that all forts, with their armaments, and all territories and possessions captured by the American army, and all the artillery taken outside such forts, should be restored; that the dividing line between the two republics should be the Nueces to its source,— thence to run, in a straight line, to the east-south-east frontier of New Mexico—thence along the boundary of New Mexico, on the east, north, and west, to the thirty-seventh degree of latitude—and thence along that parallel to the Pacific ocean—Mexico undertaking not to found any new settlements or colonies in the territory lying between the Nueces and the Rio Grande; that the United States should pay the American claims, and also make a pecuniary compensation to Mexico; and further, that the claims of Mexican citizens, for injuries sustained in the prosecution of the war by the American army, should be satisfied by the government of the United States.

Leaving out of view the other objectionable features of the counter-projét of the Mexican Commissioners,— the surrender of the artillery captured outside of the permanent fortifications of Mexico, and the indemnity to be paid to her citizens.— which could never have been submitted to with honor, the territory proposed to be ceded was of comparatively insignificant value. The boundaries specified by the Mexican Commissioners