Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1803-12-21
CONGRESS-
or TIE
UNITED STATES.
DERATE.a in the SENATE on the L9Ul-
SLaNA. TREA n.
CONTINUED.
THus:pay, November 8.

{ obedience to that order: and one gentle
man has expressed his opinion, in case such
. refusal should happen, that the american
troops, whom the President should send
J, thither, would be Justified in compelling
them to obey.-But what II subsequent
.rcyal order has been issued, requiring
those officers not to. deliver ub LOUISIANA to
France or to the United. States We have
some reason to think that such is the fact,
And resistance, he presumed, was appre--
hended. Why, else, all this parade OF
war? Why had the President been au-
.thorised to enjoy the army and navy OF
the United States, and to call forth any
portion Of eighty thousand militia! Ho-
norable gentlemen, he knew, held cheap
the power of Spain: they have spoken
plainly their opinion of her fee5seness and
| inability to Withstand the force Of the u
nited States: And have seemed to rest the
security of our title Gas he remarked on a
former occasion rather on that feebleness
and inability, than on the validity OF the
cession from the French republic. Aud
one honorable gentleman has SAID, that
Spain will be left alone that the French
republic is bond IN h0,lor not to give her
any aid. The FRENCH REPUBLIC bound
in honor? For ten or fifteen years past, we.
had known too well what were the ho21oS
and the justice of tx. government Of that
republic.
Perhaps Spain may not resist at the pre-
sent moment: She may wait until France
gets the war with Britain off her hands.
Then pretences will be easily found to re-
claim Louisiana and Spain, once engag-
ed wrestit from US by force, willreceive
from France, her ally, all necessary aid.
Mr.. p. believed that this whole transac-
ton had purposely been wrapt in obscuri-
tyby the French government. The boun-
diary Of Louisiana, for instance, on the side
OF Florida was, in the treaty, really unin-
telligible /; and yet nothing was more easy
to define. The French government, how
ever, would find no difficulty in the con-
struction. And an honorable member from
Newt Jersey, (Mr. Dayton) had informed
us, that the French project, at New Or
leans, told him, thatas soon as general Vic
tor should arrive, with the French troops,
he should extend Louisiana far into West
Florida.
Mr.. P. said, that which ever way he
turned his eyes, war was in prospect, as
the final result of our pacific measures
measures deemed SO wise as have been as
cribed to divine inspiration! He wished they
might merit that high character; but fear
ed, in the end, they would bear che stamp
of lndlscretion-perhaps of folly.
Mr.. Dayton. As the honorable gentle
man from Massachusetts has quoted what
was suggested by me in former debate to
deduce from it an inference which the in
formation gave can by no means warrant,
4 must be allowed the liberty of correcting
him. When said that there existed al
essential difference between the French and
Spanish officers at New-Orleans as to the
real boundaries of the province of louisa
ma, did not mean to Insinuate that this
disagreement extended SO far as an oppo-
sltion to the French taking possession. /;
was a question of limits on,y, varying
however SO much IN extent, as would have
produced a serious alteration between
those two countries, although closely al
lied.
The Spanish governor had takenit upon
himself to proclaim that the province lately
coded and about to be given overto France
would be confined on the East Of the Mis-
sisslPPito the river Iberville, and thelakes
NIaurepas and Pontchartrain, or In other
words sothe islsnd Of New-OrIeans !; but
the French project on the contrary .de-
clared that he neither had nor would give
his assent to the establishment of those Ii.
mits, which would be regarded no longer
than until the arrival OF their troops.
The same gentleman Mr.. Pickering)