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

younger days land he declared to his employer
that he was then engaged in running the boun-
Diary line between the French and Spaniards.
On pafiing the mouth of imail branch from
the welt, he fad that there was curiohty at
the head of it, where the line crofled. This
curiofity was a large tree on which the officers
and furveyors made fome marks, and to which
they nailed large plate Of lead, or fome other
metal, nth interruptions on ii.
Thefe incidents, however triiing in appear
ance, deferve invetigation, as they may lead
tn important discoveries. 1t ieems indeed
ftrangc, that they are not hiforically known.
Two Giro umftances may be adduced to prove
the truth of thcfe ftatements.-The Erit ia, that
fnbfequent to the year 1884, about which time
thefe boundaries are fuppoied to have been let
tled--no disturbances occurred on the weitern
borders of Louihana and the mott rational way
to account for this long calm OF near thirty
years, is to fippofe, that fome pacific meafures
had been agreed on by the two nations. The
fecond is, that mott of the tranfactions between
France and Spain, particularly near the peace
of 1853, were enveoped in profound myftery.
Comfortable light may be thrown on this
fubie6t, by z recurrence to the lateit Spanilh
and French maps. In the year 1899 the gulf
of Mexico was furveyed and a map made OF 1t,
under the authority of the king Of Spain, by
Don Juan Langara, fecretary OF hate, and OF
univerfa, dispatches. 1t embraces the whole
of the Tea coat between N. Lat. ls degrees
and the river St. Mary's in Georgia, and ALTO
the gulf with all the i(lands and foundings, be-
tween the soth and o2d degrees Of wet longi-
tude from Cadiz. This map is applicable TO
our prefeni purpole only in one particular:
it feems to couder the Sabine river, the mouth
of which is laid down in N. Long. 80 degrees
IS min. as the boundary between Louiiana and
the interior provinces.
Du Pratz rrfided in Louifiana from IT'S to
1854, during which time he fultained the office
of overfeer of the charlottesville travelled
much over that country-peEetrated mott OF
It's rivers, ard became acquainted with the CT
vii and natural hitory oft. II 1853, after his
return TO France, he publiihcd an hiitory of
Loufana in fevera voumes--an epitome of
which in ore fmal volume has appeared in En-
glib and be accompanied il with map, def
crptire OF the boundaries claimed b. his TO-
yere'gn. in this map is included that part of
Florida which lies between the Miiiihpp, and
line drawn fouth from the extremity of the
Appalachian mountains, to the gulf of Mexico,
comfortable ditance TO the eaitward Of Penfa-
cola; and yet he acknowledges in his hiitory,
that the Rio Perddo is the boundary line
From the mouth OF the MillifIppi, this line
frotches along the gulf to the mouth Of Rio Bra
vo, laid down by the Spauiards in N. Lat IS
degrees 53 min. thence on the eaferly bank of
that river TO about N Long. % degrees 25 min.
where there is a comfortable bend in it it
then DIVORCES from the river and extends nearly
parallel to it, and about 40 miles from it, and
terminates in N. Lar. 4e degrees.
This author has laid down ridge of hills,
commencing in about N. Lat 81 degrees, at no
great di!taEce from Red river, and extending
welt til! it interfetts the Mexican mountains
which commence at fome dfsnce from the gulf,
and extend along nearly parallel to the Rio
Bravo This ridne 30 ~ Eccce clcce. ere md
an half, and in Others three degrees of latitude
from the gulf. In this fpace no lefs than eleven
coniiderable rivers are laid down; and FIVE of
them, one Of which is the Sabine, appear 70
have their !ources at the foot of this ridge. Du
Pratz has been 70 particular as to delineate al!
the indian villages and nations, and other re-
markabe ohiec1s, included in the territory
bounded by the MdiHipp on the ealt-the guilt
on the fonth-the Mexican mountains the
wei, & the 10th deg. of lat. on the north. In de-
inning the boundaries about the gulf, and be-
tween Red river and the Rio Bravo, his autho-
rity is of great weight.
When Du Pratz relided in Louiana, the
French had only Attended the MifIiGippi to the
mouth ofthe ST. Francis, fixty miles above the
falls of st. Anthony, in n. Lat. IS degrees, and
only 900 miles up the MifIouri; and this is
probably the reafon, which induced him 10
bound LouifiaHa to the north on that degree.
But between that period and the year 1853 the
French penetrated the MGiilippi to its fource,
and the MiHcuri to n. Lat. rs degrees, or a.
bout 1850 miles, and carried on an indirect
trade with the Indians about the Timing noun
tains.-Thc Spaniards never vifited thefe regi-
ons, and they remain ignorant of them TO this
day. They have penetrated from Santa Fe
to the heads Of the KanZas and Platte rivers
and 10 thc!e their discoveries are limited in this
quarter.
Hence The boundaries in Guefion are not 70
predetermined as fone feem to fuppoie.-Lou-
ifiaDa bounds fouth on the gulf of MEXICO
fouth-wef, partly on the Rio Bravo, and part
ly on the Mexican mountains-north-weit on
the filming u ouDtains--north on part of Cana
,la-eaa on the upper part of the MiTouri, as
ALTO on the Mifhippi as low down as n. Lat.
81 degrees, where the line extends nearly at
right angles with the river, and embraces all
that part of Florida to the weaward of the Rio
Perdido.
Abe fhape or figure of Louifana is triangu-
lar. II is tomewhat narrower to the fouth, but
it gradually iDcreafes in breadth as it recedes
from the guf. If we can find the length and
central breadth, the quantity of territory may
be eaiiiy eitinated. We know that the Man
danes on the NJ -FOUR are ituated in N. Lat.
Al degrees 81 min. ~ fec. and from their ac-
counts of that river beyond them, we have
good reafon 20 conclude, that it's fource in the
niring mountains is in about N. Lat. 81 de-
grscs 80 min. Hence Louiilna between thefe
80 = =