seeking to retaliate upon the other. This practice played a great part in the transactions taking place in and between Great Britain and the United States concerning the colonial trade. The traditional policy of Great Britain was to keep the trade with the colonies as exclusively as possible in the hands of the mother country. The United States, of course, desired to have the greatest possible freedom of trade with the British colonies, especially those in America, including the West India islands. Various attempts were made in that direction, but without success. The commercial conventions of 1815 and 1818 between the United States and Great Britain had concluded nothing in this respect, leaving the matter to be regulated by legislation on either side. The result was a confusion of privileges, conditions, and restrictions most perplexing and troublesome. The desirability of a clear mutual understanding being keenly felt, negotiations were resumed. In July, 1825, Parliament passed an act offering large privileges with regard to the colonial trade on condition of complete reciprocity, the acceptance of the conditional offer to be notified to the British government within one year. Congress neglected to take action on the offer. Meanwhile Gallatin, upon whom the government was apt to fall back for difficult diplomatic service, had been appointed Minister to England in the place of Rufus King, whose health had failed. When Gallatin arrived in London he was met by an Order in
