y as the "Era
of good feeling." Among the important events of the first term of
President Monroe was the consummation in 1818 of a treaty between the
United States and Great Britain in relation to the Newfoundland
fisheries--the interpretation of the terms of which we have of late
heard so much; the restoration of slaves and other subjects; also the
admission into the Union of the States of Mississippi, Illinois and
Maine; in 1819 Spain ceded to the United States her possessions in East
and West Florida with the adjacent islands.

In 1820 Monroe was re-elected almost unanimously, receiving 231 out of
the 232 electoral votes. On August 10th, 1821, Missouri became one of
the United States, after prolonged and exciting debates, resulting in
the celebrated "Missouri Compromise," by which slavery was permitted in
Missouri but prohibited FOREVER elsewhere north of parallel thirty-six
degrees and thirty minutes. Other events of public importance during the
second term of President Monroe were the recognition in 1822 of the
independence of Mexico, and the provinces in South America, formerly
under the dominion of Spain; and the promulgation in his message of
December 2, 1823, of the policy of 'neither entangling ourselves in the
broils of Europe, nor suffering the powers of the old world to interfere
with the affairs of the new,' which has become so famous as the "Monroe
Doctrine." On this occasion the president declared that any attempt on
the part of foreign powers to extend their system to any part of this
hemisphere would be regarded by the United States as dangerous to our
peace and prosperity, and would certainly be opposed.

On March 4, 1825, Monroe retired from office and returned to his
residence at Oak Hill in Virginia.

He was chosen a justice of the peace, and as such sat in the county
court. In 1829 he became a member of the Virginia convention to revise
the constitution, and was chosen to preside over the deliberations of
that body but he was obliged, on account of ill-health, to resign his
position in that body and return to his home.

Although Monroe had received $350,000 for his public services alone, he
was greatly harrassed with creditors toward the latter part of his life.
Toward the last he made his home with his son-in-law, Samuel L.
Gouverneur of New York city, where he was originally buried, but in 1830
he was removed to Richmond with great pomp and re-interred in Holleywood
Cemetery.

The subject