For ourselves we are not spoiling for fight, but we feel assured, that on the first intimation of an enemy's force crossing the boundaries of our country, our gallant soldiers will meet them at the threshold and dance them another reel to the tune of "Alamo and their Rifles."

In official and semiofficial circles the attitude was one of caution and noninvolvement. At Washington, D.C., the Texan diplomatic representative, Anson Jones, discussed with various friends the question of Texas and Mexico and found the general opinion to be that if Texas sought to invade Mexico, when she was tied down with the French invasion and a civil war at home, it could hardly be more than a "Chimney corner war," with Texas taking Matamoros, but finding it impossible to march to Mexico City.[10]  Jones found Joel R. Poinsett in agreement with himself on "the impolicy of offensive operations against Mexico." Poinsett, reported Jones, thinks "that Mexico will not invade Texas unless, Texas invading [Mexico] should meet with a reverse. When Mexico enheartened would follow."[11]  As it was, the north Mexican states, now in rebellion against the Centralist controlled government, were inclined to be friendly, but, it was presumed, would "become hostile" in case their country was attacked and "give great annoyance to Texas." John Forsyth, the American Secretary of State, suggested that Texas propose peace with Mexico by agreeing to furnish her supplies through Texas to enable her to withstand the French, but Jones recorded, "I told him I thought it would not be good treatment to Our Friends, the French," to which Forsyth laughed and said, "no, if indeed, they are our friends."[12]

The Texan agent in Paris, J. Pinckney Henderson believed Santángelo's proposal of an alliance between Texas and the Mexican Federalists, had given the friends of Texas in France some uneasiness for they feared the entry of Texas into such a treaty would detract from the high position she had assumed. "I have assured our friends," reported Henderson, "that I believe they have nothing to fear from that quarter as I knew the Government and people of Texas would form no sort of political connexion with any Mexican authority, however specious their object might seem to be."[13]  Thus the friends of