ico--Political condition of Mexico--Her right of reconquering
Texas--Mr. Buchanan despatches Mr. Slidell as envoy--Rejection of
all accommodation between us--The reason why Mexico refused to
negotiate, after promising to receive a commissioner from the United
States--Subterfuges--Ill feeling in Mexico on the Texas question--
Herrera overthrown by Paredes--Paredes and the monarchical party--
Unpopularity of his scheme--Miserable state of Mexican affairs--
Review of the Texas question.

In March, 1845, as soon as congress passed the joint-resolution, Gen.
Almonte demanded his passports and departed. A correspondence which took
place in Mexico between Mr. Shannon, our envoy, and Senor Rejon, the
minister of foreign affairs, relative to the projected union resulted
fruitlessly; and, on the 2d of April, Senor Cuevas, who had succeeded
Rejon in office, announced to our legation that his government could
neither continue diplomatic intercourse with ours, nor maintain
friendship with a republic that violated her obligations and usurped a
portion of Mexican territory. He declared, moreover, that the relations
between the two countries could not be re-established before a complete
reparation of that injury should be made.[64]

This violent and denunciatory language, together with the hint to our
minister to depart, was of course not calculated to allay ill-feeling in
either country. The Mexican congress was not less bitter in its
animadversions, thereby spreading the animosity among the people. It
promptly seconded the wishes of the cabinet, and offered two projects,
both of which asserted the unalienated rights of Mexico over Texas, and
the national resolve to maintain them by force.

Meantime, however, domestic discontent was again brewing. A certain Gen.
Rangel attempted to revolutionize the government, and is said to have
been favored by the partizans of the late administration. The insurgents
seized the palace, capturing the president and three of his ministers of
state; but they were speedily overpowered and the insurrection
suppressed. In June and July of this year all the Mexican papers were
loud in their clamors for vengeance. The minister of war, Garcia Conde,
wrote despatch after despatch; and, with the usual spirit of national
gasconade, denounced our "perfidy," and continually alluded to "the war
which Mexico waged against the United States," in consequence of our
"treachery." O