Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1803-10-05

sum, at the compound interest Of ell.
cent. Can interest which our cover slSAt Pen
sometimes given, and may oftenba e, thas
to give agaln) would double i,selr obliged
more than eleven times IN centurv LITTLE
according to that ratio of accumnlat;o' and
teen million two hundred and fifty thou a.
dollars would, in hundred wears .usand
to more than three thousand nil a,'iolnt
lars A sum that far exceeds the wboI l . uol'
fish debt sum that almost exceed Dfi /
human comprehension: Yet this ~ al
it, is the sum which Louisiana wonld near ea
mately cost, on the suPposi5ion that i VII VII
to lie waste, till the distant period w I"sfs
full population would require its seftlsm rl q
and cultivation. Add to this the come osiisH'
rations Of the expenses of defending + w.
of the risks oflosing il. Louisiana bss @l1
veral times changed owners, durinetbs ls
century and may change owners il ~
century to come no-wise can it Be defsu rlI
ed, without an annual expcnce Of a va
considerable amount. 1t is also to b. co
sidered that the United States, ALREADY ~
happily disjointed by the immense RANGE Il
mountains which divides them into Az, =
tic and Western, would be still further j..
jointed by attaching to them vast r.
gion beyond the great waters Of the Mis
sippi.
If the view we have taken Of the subec.
be correct, the advantage accruing to The
States, from their holding the immense
wilderness on the farther side of the Mis.
sissippi, is reduced to this single circun.
stance-it may tend to keep of dangerous
neighbours.
SO much additional territory, East or %
this side ofthe Mississippi, as might be ne.
cessary for the permanent security Of the
navigation of that river, would be really va.
liable to the United States. N. Orleans
more than any other spot, seems to be tae
KEY of the Mississippi: therefore to have
the entire right of jurisdiction over New
Orleans, so as to be able to fortify it and
forever to hold it, must be Of great mpor.
tance. Some further acquisitions, on the
Eastern bank of the Mississippi, might be
necessary to secure its navigation; and
consequently desirable object. The
whole of West Florida, (Which is now said
to be included in the purchase, as it abpts
on the Mississippi anG as through it and
on it's Eastern border, into the gulph Of
Mexico, run the naviga5le rivers Mobile
and Appalachicola, the sources whereofre
far within our national territory, would, il
attached to the Union, tehd to give it com.
pacness anil security ofri6hts. These &C
QUESTIONS would be important, not as a ter
ritory for cultivation, but as being necessa.
~ for the security, peace and prosperity o.
the Western country. Visionary theorlst:
NAV declaim on the benefits accruing to tax
Union, from the annexation of vast anc
fertile country beyond the banks the Mis-
sissippi; and ignorance and stupidity may
listen and applaud; but, in reality, 1t is a
clear as sunbeam, that an enlargement o
this nations territory. especially in th'
Western direction, any further than shoulf
be necessary for the mere purposes OF de
fence, andfor the permanent security OF 1T
rights, would be injurious rather than be
ne6cial TO It's general interests.
The subject, in all its details, viii soor
come before its proper tribunal; and ev
cry good man, Of either political party
will rejoice in such decision as snail aP
pear to be for the general good OF the ma
ton.