well administered and
entirely reasonable on both sides, none of those provocations justified
war. Yet, when offended power on one side, and passion on the other,
become engaged in discussion, it requires but little to fan the smallest
spark into a flame, and thus to kindle a conflagration, which the
stoutest arms may fail to suppress. It frequently occurs in the affairs
of ordinary life, that neighbors are the bitterest enemies. Men often
dislike each other at their first interview, especially if they belong
to families in which mutual prejudices have existed. They find it
impossible to assign reasons for their aversion; nevertheless it exists
in all its marvellous virulence. A slight disagreement as to limits
between neighboring landholders, a paltry quarrel among servants, the
malicious representation of innocent remarks, a thousand vain and
trifling incidents, may effectually create a degree of ill feeling and
cause them never to meet without scornful looks and quickened pulses.
At length, this offensive temper is manifested in personal annoyance or
insulting language, and blows are struck in the first encounter without
pausing to debate the justice of an assault. It is with nations as it is
with persons. The boasted discretion of statesmen, and the provident
temper of politicians have, in all ages, failed to control the animosity
of mankind; and we thus find as much littleness in the conduct of
governments as in the petulance of men.

I have therefore, in studying this subject carefully, been led to the
opinion that no single act or cause can be truly said to have originated
the war between the United States and Mexico; but that it occurred as
the result of a series of events, and as the necessary consequence of
the acts, position, temper, passions, ambition and history of both
parties since our international relations commenced.

The reader will observe that I draw a distinction between the _war_ and
_hostilities_. I shall discuss the latter question in the portion of
this volume which relates to events on the Rio Grande.[19]

* * * * *

In the preceding chapter I have glanced at the character of the people
of Mexico, and I trust that the sketch I gave will be continually
remembered as illustrating the people with whom we are dealing. When our
first envoy, Mr. Poinsett, was despatched, he found Mexico pausing to
recover breath after her revolution. The bad government of Spain had