The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1812-04-21

lpire then Florida became cclony OF
France. and placeda formidable power Oh
one ct The Eaiiis of the Ameiicau States.
which they could not look forward 10 I.t,i-
OUT alarm.
If France was folcd in her attempts upon
Spain, it was evident. that, considering The
situation Of Ferdinand Nj. and otcr cir
Icumstanccs, Spain would be belly Gepcu-
dant upon England, and the probabilities
were that the latter would Oh, ain from her
colonial ccssion i'll repayment of loans u. scr
vices, and that, at any rate, tho Spanish go
vcrnmcnt would. III all It's acts, becu,nc sub
servient to England. Besides, ii Napolcon
did obtain the co piete sovereignty OF SPAN,
it was not To be doubted, thai England, ha-
wing the command Of the sea, would pre-
vent him from obtaining possess "n of the
colonies OF Spain and, it was materially to
be expected, that, under color of preserve
ing Florida to its rightfdl sovereign. Eng
land would have taken possession Of it, if
Napoleon became wholly master of Old
Spain. Thus, end i'll what way itwoald, the
struggle'in Old Spain threatened TIC Ameri-
can s.ateswith a dangerous neighbor,Sc which
neghbor, therefore, they were, it seems, re-
solved not to have. They would have disliked
us for neighbors more than the French but
they resolved to have neither. From the
| DID,, feeble, crazy government OF Spain
they had nothing to dread; but they had
| much to dread from France and more to
dread from us. Therefore, they resolved to
be. beforehand, knowing that amongst ma
tons as well as amongst individuals, posses
sion is nine points out of ten in any dispute.
But, after all, it may be a question how far
the American states would have been justi-
he'd in taking possession of the Floridas
merely upon viewing the situation of Old
Spain. What is that situation Why, the
| old king OF Spain, the only sovereign Of Spain
that the Anne riCan states have ever ac-
knowledged, has, IL our view of the matter,
been succeeded by his son, in whose name
the Regency of Spain is acting This old
king denies that his son has any lawful au
thority as sovereign Of Spain. And both of
them have abdicatcd their rights in favor of
Bonapartc. who has the persons of both III
his possession. Now, under these cirCum
| stances, how are the Americans to be sup
posed to pay any regard to any OF the acts of
the Regency or.C ortes of Spain, who have
control over scarcely any part of Spain,
where, indeed, there is a Bonaparte reign
ing in virtue Of the abdication of the ole fam
lily! How are the Americans to know who
will finally be sovereign of Spain 1t ap-
pears to me. that agrecably to every princi-
pie OF public law. they are at full liberty to
choose whether they will acknowledge any
sovereign in Spain, except the old king, as
long he shall live. They have right, of
course, to consider any other power usur-
ped, or assumed by conquest; and, be it OBJ
. served that the right of conquest, though
|pertect, as far as actual force extends, can
not give any right to territory noe actually
conquered. Bonaparte, if he conquer Spain,
will have right to Spain, as we have to
Martinco and Java but the conquest OF
Spain, will give him no title to Florida. To
have an equal right to that, he must first
; actually gain possession of it by conquest
Therefore, if Bonaparte were even to tender
the Americans payment of the debt due
, them from Spain, they would have solid
grounds for Directing to deliver Florida up
to him.. They would have equally solid
round for refusing to deliver it up to US OF
to the new government in Spain /; and, III
short, unless the old king, or his lineal des-
cendant, be re-established upon the throne
; OF Spain, and actually governing that coun-
Try, the americans have always good
. ground whereon to resist any demand of a
re,inquishment of the territory in question.
The American government have avoided
touching upon these points but, they give
us clearly to understand, that they will
suffer no third ftozUer to set a foot in Flori
da. And really, it does seem wonderful
: thst our ministers should not have foreseen
this; that they should have imagined, that
. the Americans would be induced by theiI
lrehonstrances TO give up so important al
object, a thing in which sheir peace and
safety are so deeply involved. What do the
Americans know about our alliance with
Spain! What do they know about the Spa
nish Regency and Cores? w. say that
these are the rightful rulers of Spain and
that the Spanish colonies are under theii
control but the Americans have never
said SO /; they have never acknowledged
: Ferdinand they may have no faith in that
political transuhstantation which makes
Ferdinand present at Cadiz and i'll France
the same ;i!ac theirs may b- Il more
narrow belief than ours, and even if they
J saw Ferdinand at Cadiz, they see Joseph
at Madrid with more Of the people of Spar
! on his side than there would be OIL the side
: Of his rival. If. indeed, the heotte of SPAR
lad assumed the government of their coun-
> tiS,it they had made war against Napoleon ir
#tir ozo1' name /; then the Americans might
maze been little pUzzled for grounds
l wharton to take and keep POSSESSION Of the
ficrdas' unioss tie people of Florida had
chDsen 20 Unite themselves 70 the States
huJ as things cow stand. the grounds oi
justidcaHon are 50 clear IS nos 20 Admit OF
dispuja;ion cHccrs for d,spr.aticn sake.
BosToE, april II. q.
| ~" VERY LATE FROM ENGLAND.
. ~ BY the arrival Of the snip Lothair
JAG SON, in 20 days from Liverpool, We
have been favored with Tondnn p,Ders .,