1851-May-15: Following the abrupt departure of special agent Robert Walsh, British consul Thomas Ussher noted that Walsh had “overreached himself” by threate…

1851-May-15: Following the abrupt departure of special agent Robert Walsh, British consul Thomas Ussher noted that Walsh had “overreached himself” by threatening the Haitian government with the arrival of an American naval squadron that never appeared. Walsh, described as being “imbued with American notions about the inferiority of the African Race,” had reportedly been so disgusted by the failure of his diplomatic maneuvers that he left Port-au-Prince without taking formal leave of Emperor Faustin Soulouque or his ministers. Ussher remarked that the Haitian government showed “good breeding” by making no public comment on Walsh’s lack of professional courtesy.