Martinsburgh gazette. [volume] (Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.]) 1810-1825, 1811-01-25

LADDaQ1c WHICH u VIII pISoShbJ
France cedes Louisiana " SPAN, toget"e'
NTH the tozcn and island Of Nelc- Orleans.
This last mentioned treaty has never been
published, but the lester ofthe king OF France
10 nj L,Abbadie recites the purport as well
as date of it. This letter purports to be an
order signed by the king of France, dated at
Versailles the 2lst April, 1904, and directed
to M. LAbbadie, director general and com
mandant for his majesty in Louisiana. Tins
letter was published at New-Orleans in DC
tober, l764 and circulated amongstthe French
inhabitants there.
1t recites " by a special act, done at Fon-
tainbleau, November 3, 1869, of my own
will and mere motion, having ceded to my
very dear and best beloved Cousin the king
of Spain, and to his successors in full proper
ty, purely and simply, and without any ex-
c~eptions, the Uhole country known by the
name of Louisiana together with New-Or-
leans, and the Island in which the SAID city
is situated ? and by another act done at the
Escurial, November l3, in the same year,
his Catholic majesty having accepted the ces-
sion OF the said country of Louisiana, and
the City and Island Of Neoo-Orteans, agree
ably to the copies of the said acts, wnlcn you
will find hereunto annexed / write you this
ASItCT W itioILi Juu, tLdI ly iieShoiou io,
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 to deliver up to the governor, or Off
Ger appointed for that purpose by the king OF
Spain, the said country and colony Of Lou-
sSiGnd and the ports thereon depending, like
wise the city andistdnd oEANe1c- Orleans, in
S,,.1 sta4n on1 c,nI.t,~u - 4Lo, kali hn
found to be in on the day of the said cession,
willing that in all time to come they shall be
long to his Catholic ma esty, to be governed
and administered by his governors and off
GERS, and as possessed by him in full proper
ty, without any exceptions
From this document and the treaties refer
red to, it appears, that in the month of Octo-
Der, 1854, when the whole OF Louisiana, with
the island and town of New Orleans, was de-
livered to Spain, that Great Britain was in
the peaceable possession of all the country on
the East of the Mississippi. That with res
pect to Florida particularly, G. Britain was
in possession, and nobody dreamed at that
time that Florida either east or west was any
part of Louisiana. Had it been so consider.
ed, under the orders of the French king, to
deliver the phole Of the province to Spain
undoubtedly Florida would have been de,iy.
cred.
Immediately after the cession of 1913 @
Britain took possession of all the country on
the east of the Mississippi, except only the
own and island of New-Orleans. and. in the
year 1868 ora erected old Florida, Pensacola,
the river and port of Mobile, &c. into two dis.
tinct provinces, under the name of East and
West Florida, names which they have borne
aver G1nHQ In jTR2 - Tla -
lutionary war, Great-Britain ceded to Saain
East and West Florida, which. from that
period to the present time, have been held
by Spain under those names, as separate pro-
vinees from Louisiana. In the wear $500.
when Spain was in possession of East and
West Florida and Louisiana, as three seve.
raj and distinct provinces, the lannon's treaty
ofSt. ildetonso wa. concluded, whereby Spain
"retrocedes to France the colony or nrov;nce
OF louisiana, with the same extent that it
now has in the hands of Spain, and that it
had when France possessed it and such as
it should be after the treaties subsequently,
entered into between Spain and other ~statesn
Ti,is treaty likewise has not been published
but the part referred to is cited in the treatr
between the United States and France of the
3oth Of april, 1903, whereby France cedes
to the United States, Louisiana. as f,llv and
IN the same manner as she acquired it of
Spain, by the treaty OF st. ndefonso Snain
delivered possession IN pursuance ofthe treaty
OF st lldetonso to France, and France, in
pursuance or the treaty of 1905. delivered
possession to the United States, both powers
receiving the country on the West of the
Mississippi, with the island and city of New,
Orleans like Spain originally received it from
France, as tie phole Of Louisiana.
| have now | believe sir, given a full. and
/ trust fair and correct statement of the ev;-
dences and facts relative to the question oftitle
A few remarks will close what | have to saw
on this head Tne letter from the king Of
France to NJ. LAbbadie is a very iu,norf,nt