sident Van Buren, believing that it would be vain to make any further
attempt to obtain redress by the ordinary means within the power of the
executive, communicated this opinion to congress, in the message
referred to, in which he said that 'on a careful and deliberate
examination of the contents,' of the correspondence with the Mexican
government, 'and considering the spirit manifested by the Mexican
government, it became his painful duty to return the subject, as it now
stands, to congress, to whom it belongs, to decide upon the time, the
mode, and the measure of redress.'

"Instead of taking redress into our own hands, a new negotiation was
entered upon with fair promises on the part of Mexico. This negotiation,
after more than a year's delay, resulted in the convention of the 11th
of April, 1839, 'for the adjustment of claims of citizens of the United
States of America upon the government of the Mexican republic.' The
joint board of commissioners created by this convention to examine and
decide upon these claims was not organized until the month of August,
1840, and under the terms of the convention they were to terminate their
duties within eighteen months from that time. Four of the eighteen
months were consumed in preliminary discussions on frivolous and
dilatory points raised by the Mexican commissioners; nor was it until
the month of December, 1840, that they commenced the examination of the
claims of our citizens upon Mexico. Fourteen months only remained to
examine and decide upon these numerous and complicated cases. In the
month of February, 1842, the term of the commission expired, leaving
many claims undisposed of for want of time. The claims which were
allowed by the board and by the umpire, authorized by the convention to
decide in case of disagreement between the Mexican and American
commissioners, amounted to _two millions twenty-six thousand one hundred
and thirty-nine dollars and sixty-eight cents_. There were pending
before the umpire when the commission expired additional claims which
had been examined and awarded by the American commissioners, and had not
been allowed by the Mexican commissioners, amounting to _nine hundred
and twenty-eight thousand and twenty-seven dollars and eighty-eight
cents_, upon which he did not decide, alleging that his authority ceased
with the termination of the joint commission. Besides these claims,
there were others of American citizens amounting to _three millions