Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-04-21

motive could the parties have for insertar
thens, when It must have been perfectly famil-
iar TO the memory OF both, that the extent OF
i the province or colony, when in the hands OF
/ France, had included " est Florida TO tho
! ferdsdo, which territory was also then in
! the actual possession ut SPAIN II il were
/ possible to suppose that The ministers az
/ France aud Spain, ia the Very article
! defining the eNteat OF the country 10 lie
kcomYcNed. could have bSeu' so careless rs 10
admit an Idle waste al WOrtis tie crN ,u;,...o.
\ S,jton OF this article cari,rS Internal evidence
with "a, tia, no Such nnptoS iSr,ice Is inJ ntss-
I hle tO those sN whom u was drawn up. The
4 reference to the extent of lle COLONY ia the
/ primitive possession or France could iof he 10
Il Time When thS property of IL had beeuno
/ longer hors. IL coulG HOi DC To say over gain,
/ what kad been said IN the immediately pre-
4 CedHs. CLAUSE every word OF tue description
] caIrteS with a evidence OF deep deiihcratisii
and sisn,iicancy. The hrSt clause marks the
intention OF the parties By the incident of ac-
| tsal possession by Spas ali Of vEich was to
| be restored the second clause notifies by
| cuiarglug the extent, from the incident OF
original possession By na"ce aud tue third
| clause mod,G,S, by restricting the grant 10 the
| conditions which Spain Lad stprlated con.
| cetnsug the territory, with other states. Alto
gct,cr, the clear and explicit meaning of the
| Whole a,tcle is, that SPAN should restore TO
| Vance as mach OF old French Louisiana as
| she had to restore but under sach resiric-
| lions as The engagements contracted hN SPAN
v.ih other powers reG"ned OF ier good faith
| TO secure.
| lei us pass To the consideration OF the ives
! tern boundaries OF Louisiana.
n ifh the note Of MesStS Monroe and Pinck
| new IL Don Pedro EevaliUS, of zSth January
! 1868. memoir upon these boundaries was
presented to that munster. proving that they
! eNicu0ed eastward TO the Perdido, aud weS.-
| wand 10 the Rio Brave, or Grsnde del Nnrte.
They observed ~ that note, that the factS
| and principles which Justify this conclusion
| are 81 satisfactory to'Iheir governments as 10
convince il that the United states have not 4
better risht to the island OF Nev Orleans,
under the ceSsion referred TO, than they have
To the whole district OF territory thus DIES
crlbed."
In their note of the Goth April, i505. 20 the
same minister, replying 20 hls arpumont 10
support Otthe preieif-tOns OF your goy erunCt
with regard To those limits thy lay down aud
establish. by chain OF reasoning, which nei-
ther Mr. Ceya'ios. al The time, nor your gov
crHmcni, al amy period Since, have ever an.
tempted t. break three principles, sanctioned
alike by immuiabe Justice. anJ the general
rdctice Ol tue European cations, wbIci lave
formed settlement, aud held vosl"SsiouS this
hcinSi here; aad by the application of which
10 the facts also stated N titCt mole, this ques-
ton Of the western boundary ought then 10
have been, aud, eventually, must he settled.
These principles were,
Itst. THAT when any European nation
takes possession o. ANY eAteEj ct sea coast,
that posS SSsiUn is undsr tocd as eNtCHiin- INTO
the iuteTiOr country, 10 the SpuicCs of the 81
Ners emPtying within that coast, TO all their
branches, ana The country they cover aud 60
give il night in exclusion of All other nations
10 the same
Secondly. "Ihat whenever one European
nation makes discovery and takes possession
of a. portion 0i this continent, amt another,
afterwards does the same at some distance
from il, where the boundary between them is
not determined b, the principle ah0l emen-
toned, thatthe middle distance becomes such
of course"
Thirdly "1'hat whenever any European
uati.n ms inns aNQuiret tiplf So any uot{fnu
OF territory on this c0utIpeHt. dat right can
never he diminished o. affected by an Their
power, by virtue ot purchases made by grants
OF c"nquests OF the natives. within The limits
thereoiP
Tie fact, stated in this last mentioned note,
ana 10 winch these principles were applied in
support Of ihe'Clalm Oi the United States. uii-
der The cesslen vi Louisiana by tTance 10 them,
were,
t. That the Mississippi, in it's whole length
- the ocean, was discOv, red by French sub
Iecis .roni Canada, ~ 1858.
= ! nal Ia Sale, = r. nChman, with com
mission and authority from Louis XIV, tis-
covered the bay OF ST. Bernard, and formed
settlement there, on The western side of the
river Colorado, IN the year 1925, and THAT the
possession, ihns taken, III the bay 81 ST. Ber-
nard, III ConneN,on with ti,ai Oh the Mississippi,
had always heen understood, OF right it
ought, 10 extend TO the Rio Bravo.
3 i hat the boundary, thus founded upon
possession. was describsi as forming the limits
Of --ouIsiana, Iii the grant by Louis Tie XVIII,
TO CTOZdt, IN sIi2.
1. that it was supported by the testimony of
the historical winters, Du Pratt aud Cham
pI..nN ; by 4 historical aud political memoir. on
Louisiana, writes by the count de FergeuneS.
the minister OF Louis the AHitlI; by a chart
Of Louisiana published M t7G2. by Don Tho
mas Lopez, GeogrNiher To tue slug OF Spain
aud lay map OF De L,sie, of the AcaderDN II
Sciences, at Paris, revised and repnbiished
there III 1852.
To these principles, thus clear equitable and
expiCt-to these facts, thGs precise authentic
and unsophistlcated, what opposed By
Don Pedro Cevailos at that time, and what is
now alleged by yOu9
Mr.. CeyalIos began by admitting that the
western limits OF louisiana had never been
exactly EXed; and alleged, that ia the yrar
1850, five or six years after the possession taken
aud the settlement formed by la Sale ca tain
AIonzO de Leon, uuder Il commission from the
ViceTOy OF MEXICO, examined the bay of Espi-
TItU Saut0 (Sf. Bernard tOOk Possession eff
the territory, and iOnnded The mission Of st.
Francisco &c Is.rds. Mr.. Cevallos asserted.
that il u0Wld be Ctly etSy To make il appear,
that France never had claimed this eXteut Tor
Louisiana bat lie did not make Il appear
lie also said that il France had claimed il,
Spain had never recognized, and was not
bound 10 acknoW ledge the claim.
Mr Ceyaos said that tie limits between
! Louisiana and tie Texas had always hrep
| kaO,rn, even when the French possessed Lou;.
/ siana; bat be had just before acknowledged
that they Idd never been fixed. lie spoke Of
missions founded iTar the heEinuiug OF lhe
! last century by fite venerable Mareel, OF the
/ order of ST. Francisco; be alluded 10 plan.
[ and documents aud historical rea ions. which
\ we're not to be found iu las department, but
/ many Of which, le added, were in tie depart
meHt Of tie interior, besides those winch
/ were in the ylceroyaigy OF 1leNico. But he
| never pretended possession ~ spain, Of the
/ terriioriosin question, OF AN earlier date than
1850.
! And what are these plans, and documents
and historical relations, which, att er the lapse
] olLhIrleen Nears. Nnm ave drawn forth rom Ill