ctober 17, of the retreat of Sir George Prevost after the
defeat of Plattsburg, come in to change the situation.

Between August and October little had been accomplished, during a slow
interchange of notes, beyond a withdrawal by the British of their
demand for an Indian territory, and an acceptance in its place of an
agreement to include the Indians in a general peace. Then the Cabinet,
seeing that after Prevost's retreat they could no longer claim the
{241} territory outlined in the first instructions, authorized the
negotiators to demand only Mackinac and Niagara, with a right of way
across Maine. The Americans, encouraged by the news from Plattsburg,
replied on October 23, refusing to treat on the _uti possedetis_, or on
any terms but the _status quo ante_. This brought the Tory government
face to face with the question whether the war was to be continued for
another year for the purpose of conquering a frontier for Canada; and,
before the prospect of continued war taxation, annoyance from
privateers, and a doubtful outcome, they hesitated. Turning to
Wellington for a decision, they asked him whether he would accept the
command in America for the purpose of conquering a peace. His reply
showed little interest or desire to go, although he seemed confident of
success; but he observed that, on the basis of the military situation,
they had no right to demand any territorial cession.

The Ministry then, on November 18, definitely abandoned the claim for
compensation, and accepted as a basis for discussion a plan submitted
by the American commissioners. In the preparation of this a sharp
quarrel had broken out between Clay, who insisted on terminating the
British right to navigate the Mississippi, and Adams, who {242}
demanded the retention of the American right to fish in Canadian
waters. Gallatin pointed out that the two privileges stood together,
and with great difficulty he induced the two men to agree to the
omission of both matters from the treaty, although Clay refused until
the last to sign. So the commission presented a united front in
offering to renew both rights or postpone them for discussion; and the
British commissioners finally accepted the latter alternative. The
treaty was then signed in the old Carthusian Convent at Ghent, on
December 24, 1814, as a simple cessation of hostilities and return to
the _status quo ante_ as regards conquests. Not a word related to any
of the numerous causes of the