The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1806-11-14


tween New-France and New aiexico. An,
inc Sieur de la Sale, to whom we committee
'hat enterprise, having had facets enough I,
cohhrm the belief, that a communication n,irb
1e JetfIed fren Nezv-F France (Canada) 10 fb
GHJ Of Mexico on the qvef. But a new wa
breaking out in Europe ihortly after, Their,
was no pofGbility till now, of reaping from
that new colony the advantages that mich
have been expected from thence, becaufe Tn,
| private men who are engaged in the fea trade
were all under engagements with the o,he,
colonies, which they have been Obliged TO fol.
Iow.--hnd whereas, upon the information
we have received concerning the difpoftion
and htuation of tie Esid eourtrirJ knozyr a.
frelent BY fbe name Tire prouinee of LouiGana 2,
we are OF opinion that there may be clablih.
ed therein comfortable commerce 70 much
the more advantageous to our kingdom, tina,
there has hitherto been receGity of fetching
from foreigners the greatelt part OF the com.
mooitles which may be brought from thence,
ana oecauic IN exchange thereof we need car
ry thither nothing but the commodities of the
growth and manufacture of our own king
dom, we have reiolved to grant the com
MERGE OF the country of Lnuhana to the
S'eur Anthony Crozat, our councillor, fecrc-
tsry or the houteho!d, crown and revenue, to
"hom we entrutt the execution of this pro-
Ject. We are the more readily inclined there
to, becaufc his zeal and the fnEnlar know
ieage he has acquired in maritime commerce,
encourage us TO hope for as good fuccefs rs
ne has hitherto had in the divers and funelry
enterprises he has gone upon, and which has
procured TO our kingdom great quantities of
gold and FLYER in fuch coniun6tures as have
rendered them very welcome to US ; for thefe
reaionS, being dclirous TO flow our favor to
MN, and to regulate the conditions upon
winch we mean to grant him the fad CON-
merce, after having delibera,ed this affair in
our council, of our own certain KNOWLEDGE.
run power, and royal authority We, by
thete preients, hgned by our hand, have ap-
pointed and do appoint the faid S;eur Crozat,
lolely to carry on trade in all the lands pof-
leifed by us, and bounded by New Mexico,
and by the lands of the Englifh of Carolina,
all TIE e9a6l;hbmeut5, pots, bapeus, riprrs,
0na particularly tie POT and baVen ofJle Dau-
phn, heretofore called MaGaue +; ta,e riz,-,, 81.
Lom5 brrefofore called MiGiNfbpi, from the
edge oftbe /ea as far as tie Illinois, fogetbrr
svitb the rizer St. Philip. heretofore called TIE
-'s.Do"i., "". 81. GetoDse, 6erriojore eni;ea
OVabNebe, (the Ohio) qvitL all the cowtries
feTrIforIe5, lakf5 qVifbin land and fb- rivers
qvbicb fall directly or indirectly into that part
ftbe riz'er 81. LouiJ. Our pleaturc is, that
all the atorefa'd lands, countries, Creams ri
vers and ISLANDS, be, and remain comprir
cd nnder tie name IF the government of L0m,G-
ana
Now this is folemn declaration of Louis
XIV. AZ TO iome of his claims in Louiiiana, and
we ihatl ioon find how far they were irensth-
ened 10y actual poliefiion and fett!ement. For
what reaion the commerce Of Crozat was IL.
mited to the Illinois on the north, and at the
lame time extended TO the MiGouri, does not
appear; but it is prsiumed, that this was done
to prevent any interference with the Canadian
trade, which was extended to the MiiIidipDi. A.
hove the falls OF ST. Anthony, by way OF. the
Ouifcouiing.
No doubt the French extended their claim
TO the lands Of tie EaglB Of C0roiNa in confe-
quence OF the iettlements made by them abou,
St. Anguaine in 500, and the inclination they
poiieiied to circumfcrioe the claim of their
rival neighbours. But thsf5 settlements exiReG
only five years. The repeated attacks of the
Spaniards obliged the French to abandon them.
and they never afterwards attempted to renew
them. The Spaniards became too firmly fixed
70 be ea6ly removed.
In 1853 the French formed fsttlcments about
the mouth of the Mobile, and on DauDhin If.
land, from which no attempts were ever made
TO eXpel them. In 1899, Iberyiic wa, appoint
Ell the ilrt governor of Louliana and the feat of
government was fixed among thefe frttlements.
he SPanlards did not patiently fnher the
AtS"Cn 10 pant tnctniSlVeS IN thOie new rcgI.
ous-but made feveral attempts to circum-
icribe them one of which was the fettlement
OF Peniacola in SOC, about thirty-four miles 10
the ealtward of the Mobile. This proximity
OF neighbourhood caufrd much disturbance be-
tween them Attacks were reciprocally made 4,
ana the danger they created, added to the lofs
OF many men, impeded the profpcrity of both
nations. The lat ofthefe conteits was in l7Is
when Peniacola changed matters three times in
the courfe of one year. InI7t9, peace was
concluded between France and Spain. From
tins period till l7Gs, the Rio Perdido, about
twelve miles to the wcflward Of the bar of
PentAcoIa, was conidered as the boundary line
between the two nations. The French occu.
pied the wet, and the Spaniards the eat fde
OF IT. The iovereign atls of both were limited
to their reipeStive pole1ions. Both acduiefc-
ed in the boundary liue--and this, together
with the undifurbed poH,iTion of the French
w l763, ipace of forty.four years, feems TO
hX The boundary in the Forilas on ruch TO-
I'D balls as not now TO be called in oueftion.
Iheic may be adduced as unanfwerablc ar,u.
ments againit any modern prctenion of Spain to
a more extended claim. Several treaties were
made iubiequent to Crozat's grant in 1872, and
the peace of 1919, to which Spain was par.
~ and IN none OF them are The rights of France
impaired.
1t is therefore difficult to comprehend The
ground of the atIertion, that no part of WEI
Florida, except the inand Of Orleans, j. in.
Guided IN Louiiana. If the original difcoverv