Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1806-12-22
THhole No. 452.

ders to our troops on the frontier 70 be IN
readiness to protect our citizens and to re-
pei any future aggressions- And IN his pri-
vate Message sent few days afterwards he
informed Congress that the documents in
his possession authorized the Inference that
il was the intention of Spain to Z" advance
on our possessions until they should be re-
pressed by an opposing force" in conse-
quence Of which he had instructed the A
merican officers stationed in the neighbour
hood Of the aggressors to protect our citi-
zens and had ordered = The Spanish re-
naming within Eew-Orleans to depart with
out delay" Such was the state of things.
between rs and Spain twelve month ago
Nor can we forget what he then added :
The present crisis III Europe (ssid he) -
favorable for pressing such settlement Las
would be most advantageous to us and not
a moment should be lost in availing ourselves
Of it Should it pass minsbrovcd, orr siiua-
tion zpouLa beconre much more dificult"
Mr.. Jefferson was right in his idea that
there was g not moment to be lost in a
vailing ourselves of the state of things" IN
Europe And She question which every
body looked to see answered in this mes
sage, IS whether such q settlement had
been pressed, and in what it had resulted
To say he has received no information and
therefore can give none, win not satisfy any
man but one OF these humble animals who
are content to believe every thing right that
Mr.. Jefferson says OF does, without taking
the trouble to reflect for himself
He has sent ambassador after ambassador,
and envoy after envoy 70 Madrid, and yet he
! knows nothing that has been done He first
sent Mr.. Pinckney, and then he sent Mr.
BowdOin, and then he sent Mr. Munroe,
and then he sent Mr Erving, and then NO
sent Mr.. Armstrong, and lastly he sent 70
France 1tgo Millions Of Dollars 70 propiti-
ate her 50 faras 70 let -Elc2e ambas adors and
ENJOYS make bargain Tor us win Spain
Well, after all this, wlen we are Faping
with expectation to know what has become
Of our disputes, and what has become OF our
money, all he i able to tel us il, that truly:
: What VIII be the issue Of our regocia-
tons with Spain nothing winch mad taken
place at the date Of the last dispatches ena-
bic US to pronounce
And D the nation satisfied with this
VIM Congress be satisfied with it ? or IL tic
meaning OF the Message to be explained
and additional information conveyed in a.
mother codicii2 One fact however Is coln,,iu-
mcated for the first time, which ~ that
when Louisiana was delivered tothe United
States Il was not served that Spain still
continued to hold ~ session of a certain
village on the Western side of the Miss,sip-
Pl Called Bayou Pierre-Aad this posses
sion i considered BY Spain ~ possession
Oh part m the name Of the whole and ena-
olea her to say she never delivered I'd any
territory west OF the Mississippi We sus-
Pcct the tune approaches when every con
sIderate man, whatever party he my have
belonged %, o. may stlll belong U, VIII Yield
10 the doctrine 50 strongly, though 50 una
v"i'ngy insisted upon By the federaHsts,
that not cent Of Tie yy,ycAuce ,rsoney for Lott-
isiaaa Fhoui4 havs ben pail tiH 1tfer possess
sion o5triacf md 5ou71 mes ssttIef.
X The possession Of both banks of the Mis-
! sissipPi, Mr.. Jefferson says enables us to re-
duce our defence Of that river to single
point, where Tx proposes u erect f1rtihca-
tons, % a. q prevent any force from pass
\ ing. We think with hin that fortifca-ion
at some proper point very desirable thin,
20 keep the Spaniards out after thcv shall
have been driven out But how can MI.
Y Jefferson say that VIC have possession VIZ
V both banks of the Mississippi He had b4t
/ Just told us Of their claiming and retaining
: possession of 4 village on the ggesf side and
/ in his Secret Message he told us that Spain
insisted upon il we had but r gtyirr vi
| land" on that side as tn The east side. they
certainly still retain possession Of Baton
Rogue, besides two other forts situated at
suitable distances from each other, an the
| way from the former southern Inc Vi tie
| United States To the Iberville How then.
we ask again, can tie President say we have
possession of both banks OF the Mississippi,
when Spain maintains rarrisons On one, and
,llows us Only a strirq NJ land Of tie others,
'o much for the Information We have rea
'ectng our difficulties with SPAN.
Our eomhlants, on this curious pro
duction, extends 50 far Is 20 aver that it
contains ~ satisfactory information Of "the
tate ofthc u7ioH, J" particularly with r-nard
% those difficulties il minated u subsist
n our foreign relations that IS 10 c. Brit
IN, we were on!y tod tdat nothing had
been Done, but thaths aaye sIy something
wonid be donc hef,re the session was over.
Ern1r ma. !. 80. n.,.r.... -. w