Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1811-01-19

and guarantees iu iutt Iseh1' W
mic majesty, all that Spain possssSss on
the continent of North America, 20 !he
east 0, ssuth east of the Mississippi, IN
eludihg Florida with fort 81. @nsns'.ne
md the bay Of Pensacola NOV consisting
of East and part of West Florida ny
H.. ds6nitive treaty of peace and 'ren's"'p
between the kings Of G.. Britain, France
and Spain, concluded at Paris en- the lC'n
day of February, 17e3. the preliminary ar
ticles were adopted, ratified and tonhf"eo'
By another treaty bearing Gate the 81 day
of Move ber, 1862, kesome any era ye"'
the preliminary articles are dafed, as APP
pears by the letter to NJ L'Abhadie which
will presently refer TO. Francs csdes
Louisiana 20 Spain. together zciM tie scuvn
and island Of Nezv Orleans. This last
mention. treaty has never been pubfsttd,
but the letter of the king Of France 10 NJ
L'Atbadie recites the purport as well rs
date of it. This letter purpor.s to be an
order signed by the king of France, dated
a, Versailles the 21st April, 1854, and d.
rec,cd to Nj. L'Abbadie, director general
and co,nmsrdant for his maj esty in Loui'
sisna. This letter vas published at New"
Orleans in October, l764, and circulated
amcng the French inhabitants there.
I, recises "by special act done at Ion.
,ainbleau, Nov. 8, 1862, of my own will
and mere motion, having coded to my very
dear and best beloved cousin the king OF
Spain, and to his successors in full proper
". purely and simply, and without any ex-
&C ptions the 7uhoie country known by the
name OF Louisiana, together with New Or.
lears, and the island in which the said
city is situated" and bv another act done at
the Escnrial, Nov. Il, 10 hc same year,
his caltoIic majesty having accepted the
cession OF the said country of Louisiana,
and the city Gnd Island cf Nesu 0rlaas, a
ereeably 10 the copies OF the SAID acts,
which you will fnt, hereunto anne xed II
write you this letter to inform you tina, my
intention is, that on the receipt Of these
presents whether they come to your hands
by The officers of his catholic majesty, or
directly by such French vessels as may be
charged with the same, YOU ARE tn deliver
up to the governor, or officer appointed Tor
tina, purpose by the king Of Spain, the said
country and colony Of louisiana, and the
posts thereon depending, Fkewise tie city
and island Of New Orleans in such state &
condition as they shall be found TO be in on
the day Of the SAID cession, willing that in
I'll time to com. theJ shall Belong TO his
catholic majesty, to be governed and adj
minis,ered by his governors and officers,
and as possessed by him in full property,
without any exceptions"
From this document and the treaties re.
frrred to, it appears that in TIE month Of
October, 1854 when the whole OF LOUISE
ana with the town and island of New Or
leans was delivered so Spain, that Great
Britain was in the peaceabie possession Of
all the country on the east OF the Missis-
sippi. That with respect 10 Florida parti.
cuiarly, Great Britain was 10 possession,
and nobody dreamed at that time, that
Florida, either East OF, West was any part
Of Louisiana. Had it been 50 considered
under the orders of the French king, to de-
liver the uhoie of the province to Spain,
undoubtedly Florida would have been de-
liyered.
Immediately after the cession of 1888,
Great Britain took possession Of al, the
county or the east Of the Mississippi, ex.
cept only the town and island of New Or
leans, and in the year 1865 ora, erected
old Florida. Pensacola. the river and port
OF Mobile, &c. toto two distinct provinces.
under the name Of East and West Flori.
da, NAMES which they have borne ever
since. In 1888 at t:,- close Of our revolu
tioha,y war Great Britain eeded to Spain
East and IVES, Florida, which from that
period TO the present time, have beea held
by Spain under those naaaes, as separate
provinces from Louisiana. In the wear
1900 When Spain Was in possession of East
and West Florida, and Louisiana, az three
several ADD distinct provinces, the famous
treaty of S.. tidetonsn wa. concluded where.
by Spain retrocedss 60 France the colony
and province of louisiana, with the anne
extent that it now has in the hands Of
Spain, and that it had when France pos.
sessed 1t; and such as II should be after