ecalled. He was
succeeded by Mr. Jackson who was authorized to enter into a commercial
treaty, but speedily became embroiled with the Secretary of State. The
president directed the secretary to have no further communication with
him, and soon afterward requested his recall. This was complied with,
but no censure was visited upon the envoy, and no other was sent in his
place.

In May, 1810, congress approved the course of the executive, declared
the official communications of Mr. Jackson highly indecorous and
insolent, and passed a new act of non-intercourse. This provided that if
either France or England repealed her hostile decree, and the other did
not within three months do likewise, then intercourse should be resumed
with the one, while with the other non-intercourse should be persisted
in.

In August the French minister for Foreign Affairs gave notice to the
American minister that the Berlin and Milan decrees had been revoked by
the Emperor; and in November Madison issued a proclamation declaring the
fact, and announcing that the act of non-intercourse would be revived as
to Great Britain unless her orders in council should be revoked within
three months from the date of the proclamation.

The British government resisted this demand, on the ground that there
was no official evidence of the repeal of the French decrees, and the
act of non-intercourse was accordingly declared in full force against
Great Britain. In March, 1811, the Emperor Napoleon disavowed the
statement of the Duke of Cadore, and declared that "the decrees of
Berlin and Milan were the fundamental laws of the empire." American
vessels had been seized and held by France even after the president's
proclamation, and every overture on the part of the American minister at
Paris toward the re-establishment of friendly relations between the two
countries was viewed with indifference and utterly failed. The country
was slowly but surely drifting toward a war, which no exertions on the
part of the administration seemed adequate to prevent.

Madison pushed his pacific views to an extent that proved displeasing to
many of the most prominent men of the Republican party. Bills were
passed for augmenting the army, repairing and equipping ships of war,
organizing and arming the militia, and placing the country in an
attitude to resist an enemy; for all which congress appropriated
$1,000,000.

Madison acquiesced in this policy with extreme reluctance, but on