Martinsburgh gazette. [volume] (Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.]) 1810-1825, 1811-01-11
g9e Ga5sfe.
Martinsburgh, Jan. II.

In our paper of to-day, the public will find the
history of our claim to that part OF West Florida
which governor Claiborne has been directed to oc-
cupy, with which the administration has at length
thought proper to favour them-We have Tor a long
time been anxiously expecting this, that we might
be enabled to judge for ourselves OF the justice OF
that tile, in support Of which we shall probably
spend 50 much blood and treasu e. 1t has frequent
k been our fate TO draw conclusions very different
from those derived by the administration from the
same facts, and we are sorry to say that in this IN
stance much as we might have wished to see our
claiu to so large and an }ortang a territory establish
ed, we can BY no m Ems agree. to the correctness OF
the reasoning by which they have endeavoared to
.ect ii.
That we NAV take a clear view Of this subject, alb
stracted from any other matter, we will here repeat
those parts Of tbs statement which ielste exclusive
" to The territory east of the Mississippi, Which is
now in dispute between SPAN and the u. States.
In l7l2 Louis the 18th granted under the name of
Lolisi ma all the country drained by the waters emp
tying directly or indirectly into the Mississippi. In
1863 France coded all that part OF Louisiana east of
the Mississippi to Great-Britain, and all tiat to the
westos the SAID river, to span, IN the grant to the
fret, including a considerable part OF lRe L. States
and all the disputed territory by The treaty Of 1853
this territory which we are now endeayourins 10
wrest from Spain, was coded to her by O.. Britain,
under which grant It mas ever since been heid-in
the year 1900 Span coded Louisiana TO trsace
via UGG SaUfT ANN tb1A y ttNt sHNA w NAI aAil1io
of Spain, and that il had when France possessed II,
and such as ii should BE- after the ueatles subsequent
~ entered into between SPAN and other 5 stes, aud
il 1903 France eeaed it 10 the I. States as she had
xcakA9 & trcaa SP%}ae
Such then Is our title to West FLORIDA and the
government arguing from these facts have confident
~ concluded that their title is ncontrovertibie Be-
fore we proceed to examine this subject, 1t is neces-
sary to state, that.evenlt before it was ceded to G.
BRIAN, the whole country east OF the Mississippi
Vrnra cniiaI I tticinp and had been tftdrr Tha c.ua
government with the territory on tine western side OF
tllat river "a fact OF which W. are by no means GER
tsa4) Vet after that time it WIS a separate province,
under different government, and tlat whilst the ter
ritory west OF the Mississippi was called Louisiana,
that name was no longer applied to the country Oh
the east side OF tAat river, the particular part of
which now in dispute be ng known as the govern
ment of West Florida, the boundaries and jurisdlc-
ton of which were wen understood. We must al
so remember hath western boundaries ofLouisiana
have ever been doub,fu., and our government have in
formed US that the province of 1 axas IS even now IN
dispute between Sp4in and the mselyeS, Spain then
coded Louisiana to France m the same extent that
it (viz. Loujsiana) had in the hands OF Spain.-
As we have before shewil, the name OF LOUISIANA
was now oniy applied % the country west OF the Mis-
sissin0i, and if things are known by then names at all,
it could not have been intended to cede more terrific
rythan was west OF that river, and It does appear to-
US as reasonable to clam the island OF Cuba itseit, by
virtue of this grant, as TO claim West Florida.
nut SUE also CEIcI ~ AZ W. N'
it had when France possessed it.'-iins IS the only
clause by which the least shadow OF title is given us
10 the territory in question, and we must CONFESS We
think this nothing more than a shadow. In 1000 1t
would have been just as reasonable TO nave Gated
Kentucky, the Carolinas, sc. by the general name OF
Virginia, because they were SO Called before they
were erected into independent governments, as to
call West Florida by the name OF Louisiana SO many
Years alter it had been entirely separated from that
province. And let us for a moment suppose q paal-
ietessei ifFrance were TO conquer the IhAed olales,
(which God in his infinite mercy AVERT ana make a
grant Of Virginia TO Great Britain, In the same terms
that Louisiana was granted her by Span, who
would suppose il reasonable in Great Britain by VIZ
tue Of such a grant, to clam all Pennsylvania ana
the whole Of the vast country included under the ge-
neral name of Virginia at the first settlement of A
merIcal BY Louisiana then, Spain meant nothing more
than her territory so called west oil tue NlssissippL
suppose then the grant to France had been IN these
terms, We graut to France all our territory west OF
the Mississippi called the province 0 Louisiana in the
same extent and with the same bounds winch IT had
when France possessed it." " e ask feveTy one would
not nave supposed this a proper pTecautioh on the
part Of Spain to exclude the idea of her sdrrsndering
any part other claim to the province OF IdN6sF lius
Uea N truth, and accord pg tn the true spirit otute
treaty OF ST. Ildefoas9 is the case, and this Clause
means no more than TO protect the clam OF spain 10
mat province inasnuch as 1t was impossible BY any
one general CLAUSE accurately to describe so great q
country as Louisiana, whose real boundaries were
uiAeoNTL This opinion tours IS we dtnE s9ehsua-
eued ~ the succeeding clause IN which Sfain eedes
Louisiana " with the a extent that Il should HAYS
alter the treaties subsequently entered into with o;
uier haio1s.'' What then ought to have been IN
ehtent OF Louisiana after these t~reatiess Clearly no
l!Ilng east Of the Mississippi. Span was a party 60
inc war OF '65 into winch she had been drawn by he
attachment 20 Frsnce and was in consequences a SUI
'eieE-Ayt the treaty Of '63 West FLORIDA was eeoea