Page:Vol 5 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/360

340 guard the Texan frontier, and to intimidate Mexico. The troops, however, had orders to stand on the defensive as long as they could fairly and properly do so, and not to commit or provoke any hostilities. General Taylor accordingly encamped in June at Corpus Christi, ready to advance on the Rio Bravo.

Texas secured, Mexico exasperated, and diplomatic relations at an end, everything was now favorable to secure the war determined upon, and which would result in the acquisition of more valuable territory, including much-coveted California. But such a war, to be popular or even tolerated in the northern states of the American union, must be made to appear a war by the act of Mexico. It would be a fine stroke to pretend to further negotiation, or even conciliation, howsoever hypocritical they might be, and these failing, as care should be taken that they should fail, then Mexico might easily be provoked to strike the first blow. It would then be, on the part of the United States, a war of defence, not of aggression, and the national conscience would remain satisfied. This was the policy adopted by the administration of President Polk, and it met with the most infamous success.

Now for the first step, namely, renewing the negotiations. On the 13th of October, 1845, John Black, consul of the United States in the city, of Mexico, confidentially apprised Secretary Peña y Peña of the desire of the American secretary of state that the Mexican government should receive an envoy clothed with powers to arrange the questions pending between the two republics. Two days afterward Peña delivered Black a written reply of the 14th, saying that though the Mexican nation had been deeply injured by the acts of the United States in the department of Texas, his government was disposed to receive a commissioner