1850-May-13: British diplomat Henry Bulwer reported on the arrest of an American commercial agent in Haiti, noting that Secretary of State John M.

1850-May-13: British diplomat Henry Bulwer reported on the arrest of an American commercial agent in Haiti, noting that Secretary of State John M. Clayton refused to make the incident a major diplomatic issue. Bulwer observed that American public attention was increasingly directed toward Haiti, potentially shifting the expansionist “excitement” previously focused on Cuba toward the black republic. Despite the arrest, the Taylor administration appeared to be waiting for more comprehensive reports from other agents before deciding on a formal course of action.