nia and other States 280

The next difficulty of the board occurred in regard to the allowance
of interest on claims. Concerning this point, Cheves held that a
reasonable compensation for the injury sustained should have been
granted. "A just compensation," said Cheves, "is the reestablishment
of the thing taken away with an equivalent for the use of it during
the period of detention." In reply to this Jackson held that the
convention of 1822 did not grant the commissioners the power to fix
interests and, besides, that interests not being a part of the debt
could not be allowed. Realizing the futility of his claims Cheves
offered to submit the difference to arbitration, but Jackson declined.

Equally difficult questions arose in regard to the slaves taken away
from Dauphin Island in Mobile Bay.[74] This island, controlled by the
British during the war, was later surrendered to the United States.
Concerning this Jackson held that it was not legally at the time of
the ratifications of the treaty a part of the United States, that is,
it was not a part of Louisiana but belonged to West Florida, which was
not ceded to the United States until 1819.[75] In regard to this
Cheves offered to refer these claims to arbitration, but in this view
Jackson refused to acquiesce. The situation did not become any better
even when Rufus King was sent as our minister to England to succeed
Henry Clay who became John Quincy Adams's Secretary of State.

Continued disagreement of the representatives of Great Britain and the
United States resulted. Their failure to agree upon the provisions of
the Convention of 1822--that matters under dispute be referred to
arbitration made the work of this convention of little avail. Clay's
offer of settlement was not favorably received in Great Britain. As to
a basis of compromise, Clay said that the "total number of slaves on
the definitive list was 3,601; that the entire value of all the
property for which the indemnity was claimed including interest might
be stated at $2,693,120." Realizing that this large sum would never be
secured, Clay suggested that $1,151,800 might be used as the minimum
in the negotiation. He used as a guide the fact that Parliament had
appropriated 250,000 pounds to cover the awards of the commission.
This sum, Mr. King observed also, was nearly the sum mentioned as a
minimum by Clay in his instructions to him. Even with this
information, the commissioners made little progress.