ans concerned dwelt within the acknowledged
bounds of the United States, and their political relations towards her
were no concern of Great Britain; nor could any arrangement be
admitted which would constitute them independent communities, in whose
behalf Great Britain might hereafter claim a right to interfere. The
error underlying the British demand was the assumption that the Indian
tribes were independent; whereas, in their relation to foreign
countries, they were merely dwellers in the United States, who had
made war upon her in co-operation with Great Britain. The upshot was a
mutual agreement, drawn up by the British plenipotentiaries, that upon
the conclusion of peace each state would put an end to hostilities in
which it might be engaged with the Indians, and would restore them to
the rights enjoyed before 1811. The Americans accepted this, subject
to ratification at home, on the ground that, while it included the
Indians in the peace, it did not do so as parties to the treaty, and
left the manner of settlement in the hands of each Government
interested. The agreement thus framed formed one of the articles of
the treaty.

On September 27 the Gazette account of the capture of Washington was
published in London. Lord Bathurst, who in the absence of Castlereagh
was acting as Foreign Secretary, despatched the news the same day to
the commissioners at Ghent, instructing them to assure the Americans
that it made no difference in the British desire for peace, nor would
modify unfavorably the requirements as to frontier, as yet
unstated.[502] Liverpool wrote coincidently to Castlereagh, suggesting
that he should communicate to the sovereigns and ministers at Vienna
the moderation with which the Government was acting, as well as the
tone assumed by the American commissioners, "so very different from
what their situation appears to warrant." "I fear the Emperor of
Russia is half an American, and it would be very desirable to do away
any prejudices which may exist in his mind, or in that of Count
Nesselrode, on this subject."[503] The remark is illuminating as to
the reciprocal influence of the American contest and the European
negotiations, and also as to the reasons for declining the proposed
Russian mediation of 1813. The continent generally, and Russia
conspicuously, held opinions on neutral maritime rights similar to
those of the United States. Liverpool had already[504] expressed his
wish to be well out of the war,