Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1811-03-27
FLORIDA QUESTION.

l..
they were, and all possessions, and conflicting
claims, were settled by the treaty OF 1908.
That treaty adjusted the rights OF the parties.
By a solemn record under their hands, 1t mark
ed the lines of their territories and empire.
g. 1t is retrocession. Spain received no.
thing of France east of the Mississippi: clear
ly then there was nothing there Tor her to re-
trocede or give back.
If France once had possessed territory on
the east side of the Mississippi, but had not
coded it to Spain by this treaty, she could not
claim it of Spain, though Spain had acquired
it afterwards by conquest Or treaty, from an
other power, to whom France had coded it.
These words in the treaty, that it had
when France possessed it, CAN nave no ope-
ration east of the Mississippi. To give it
such an operation, is to oppugn the preceding
member of the sentence, VIZ. with the same
extent that it then had in the hands of Spain )"
for the colony of Louisiana, then in the hands
of Spain, did not extend east of the Missis-
sippi.
lfthose words, "that it had when France
possessed it." are not asdouble description,
and have any application or operation to give
the ccssion an extension beyond what other
wise it would have, they Can apply and ope-
rate only in relation to the northern or west
em limits.
The period to be taken for ascertainins the
extent OF the possession OF France, Is the
time of her cesslon to Spain. In no other
Wy Can the express words used be satisfied,
and recoIclled with each other, and lii no
other way can the spirit of the transaction be
preserved, and In no other way Cali the So
iemn Get OF the treaty of Paris ct 1863, which
forms one OF the most important eras in the
history OF our country, and tlC chart oil our
possessions be kept inviolate.
;. In conformity with the above construc-
ton, and DIS eVlnclve OF the understanding
both OF France and OF Spain on this point,
we refer to the order OF the king OF Spain to
his captaln-general OF Louisiana, Tor tie de-
nVerins up That province TO the authorities of
tie french government, III pursuance OF the
treaty OF st. I.deionzo. 1t is dated October
2!st, 1902, and so i4r as is necessary tor our
purpose, Translation OF il is Ii these words
:: or4er fthe King IF Sha;n to .he Marquis
S,msruesos, Cat!ans- General et Louisiana,
to detiVer m tAut tr5vilce to tie CoHsB.is-
sioncr q the French government.
g Den Carlos, By the grace of God, King of.
c +stiie, al Leon, OF lirragon, &c. SC having
Judged 1t convenient to ccde back (retrocedc).
10 the Republic ct France the colony or pro-
vince of Louisiana | command YOU, that as
soon as these presents shall be delivered to
YOU by Gen. NiC.yr, or such other officer as
the French government shall duly authorize
to take charge of this dispatch, that you put
him in possession of Louisiana, and its dcpen-
denotes, as well as Of the city ard island of
New-Orlevns, with the same extent that i. now
actually has, and that it had unGer the do9ir-
ion Of france, zahen she deitUere6 it to M roo-
q! crozvn, and such as it ought to be in pursu-
ance of treaties subsequently made between
my estates, and these Of other powers
The time to be taken for ascertaiI.ing the
extent of Louisiana as possessed by France. is
here definitely fixed to be the period Of the
cession or delivery of the colony of Louisia-
ma by France to Spain. For it is TO be deli
vered with the same extent, "that IL had TN.
der The dominion If France, zh-za ste defve-sd
i. 10 ny rJyal croz2n." This order was ac-
cepted by France, and under it Louisiana
was actually delivered to Ter. The terrific.
~ east of the Mississippi was not delivered
the people were not transferred from the ill.,
risaiction OF Spain, nor their allegiance chang.
ed from the crown of Spain TO the Republic
of France. The powers of Spain were not
removed from the country they went ON af-
ter the delivery OF Louisiana to the French,
in all their functions on the east of the Mis-
sissippi, as before under their colonial po-
yernment of West Florida And very lately,
if not to the present moment, the authorities
of Spain were in possession of the country,
of its important keys and fortresses, though
menaced by proceedings of various, unysteri-
Gus, and muluform character and aspect.
The last member of the clause of the ST. Il
defonzo treaty under consideration, to which
some importance has been given, would, to a
common reader az least, be less obscure. if
it had been correctly translated. In the trea-
ty, first drawn up In French, & which is to go
yern, it is in these words" Eft teJle ou'eiie
dit etre d'apres les traites passes subsequent
ment entire rEspagne ct d'auues Eats
In the treaty as published with the laws, it is
thus translated" And such IS it should be
after the treaties subsequently, entered into
between Spain and other States" Tie fol-