Page:The War with Mexico, Vol 1.djvu/110

Rh Mexico set at work to devise a scheme for evading the obligation. Urgent advice from the British minister discouraged this plan, however; and finally a new convention was made in January, 1843, expressly for the convenience of our debtor, by which the amount with interest was to be paid within five years, counted from the following April, in equal quarterly instalments of cash. "Such indulgent terms," was Paken —  ham's description of the arrangement." Both governments ratified it; and so after these many years of patience and effort on the one side, evasion and sometimes dishonesty on the other, compensation for a portion of our grievances began to be received. But  —  after all, Mexico paid only three installments. At that point she broke her word, and stopped.

For her course in this matter there see, to be only two conceivable excuses; her embarrassed condition and her irritation over the Texas affair. With reference to these it must be said that her condition was itself inexcusable, and at the utmost did not incapacitate her for doing all that we demanded; while her irritation was essentially unfounded, and. even had it been reasonable, would not have justified her making promises and agreements only to break them, or resorting in other ways to dishonorable methods.