these vessels to be a violation of International

Law.

There are many points and facts in our

recent relations with England to which I

would gladly call your attention; but I

must omit them for want of space[.]

The English Govt in recognising Texas were in-

fluenced by several considerations. One of these

was our ceding to them “the right of search”

which they made a sine qua non of recognition.

England was particularly desirous at that time

to isolate the United States on this great question.

Next, that Govt were afraid that Texas might

be annexed to the American Union. They desired

our separate existence for com-

mercial reasons, as a consumer of their manu-

factures and a producer of cotton not subject

to the tarriff [sic] restrictions of the United States,

and also as a means of attacking that tarriff [sic]

by smuggling through Texas. They desired our

separate existence as interposing a barrier

to the encroachment of the United States upon

Mexico[.]

There now exists another matter which has

been entertained for some months in

England; whether or not for a longer period

I am unable to say. I will develop it in

a separate paragraph.

It is the purpose

of some persons in England to procure the