in that spirit of liberality and forbearance which has
ever marked the policy of the United States toward that Republic, the
request was granted, and on the 30th of January, 1843, a new treaty was
concluded. By this treaty it was provided that the interest due on the
awards in favor of claimants under the convention of the 11th of April,
1839, should be paid on the 30th of April, 1843, and that--

The principal of the said awards and the interest accruing thereon
shall be paid in five years, in equal installments every three months,
the said term of five years to commence on the 30th day of April, 1843,
aforesaid.

The interest due on the 30th day of April, 1843, and the three first of
the twenty installments have been paid. Seventeen of these installments
remain unpaid, seven of which are now due.

The claims which were left undecided by the joint commission, amounting
to more than $3,000,000, together with other claims for spoliations on
the property of our citizens, were subsequently presented to the Mexican
Government for payment, and were so far recognized that a treaty
providing for their examination and settlement by a joint commission was
concluded and signed at Mexico on the 20th day of November, 1843. This
treaty was ratified by the United States with certain amendments to
which no just exception could have been taken, but it has not yet
received the ratification of the Mexican Government. In the meantime our
citizens, who suffered great losses--and some of whom have been reduced
from affluence to bankruptcy--are without remedy unless their rights be
enforced by their Government. Such a continued and unprovoked series of
wrongs could never have been tolerated by the United States had they
been committed by one of the principal nations of Europe. Mexico was,
however, a neighboring sister republic, which, following our example,
had achieved her independence, and for whose success and prosperity all
our sympathies were early enlisted. The United States were the first to
recognize her independence and to receive her into the family of
nations, and have ever been desirous of cultivating with her a good
understanding. We have therefore borne the repeated wrongs she has
committed with great patience, in the hope that a returning sense of
justice would ultimately guide her councils and that we might, if
possible, honorably avoid any hostile collision with her. Without the
previous authority of Congress