Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-04-24

numDefleSS uililOnS OF Iteenen uCStinSC nv tfiiS
aud future ages to sail on his bosom and dwell
along his hanks, aud those of his tributary
streams. there lis not one but wil be deeply
indebted for large portion of the comforts
and enioyments OF life TO the geniuSans energy
eff La Sale,
3 VI waS in the order of Providence that he
should rot live 10 accomplish the whole of his
undertaking, but that he should so nearly ac-
comIhSh II as TO place IL beyond the power of
events that II should PERISH With him. Ills
project was revived immediately after the
peace at Ryswick, and settlements were effect
ed by dIOeNille and his brother, near the
moath OF the Mississippi, upon The Calf Of
Mexico. They angni' hed. as they naturally
must, during The war otihe Spanish succession.
Tile granite Ciozat, after a very tew years, MAS
transferred TO the Mississippi company. and
seen after the peace of Utre Cit, tie CITY Of n
Orleans was founded.
There is no doubt that IL the viceroy Of Mex
leo could have eNterminated dIberViile aud
his expedition, no rrench settlement an the
Gnli would In, { been made. fhe Spanish es-
Enlistment al Pensacola had been made only
one month before he arrived there, and solely
for tie purpose of preventing him. TIE Spa
niaids proiesit Il even against his cuicting tho
MISSISSIPPI. SO II was afterwards when the
French settlement was made AT NatchitocAeS
Immediately afterwards, was founded the post
at Adaes. Wherever Il Ireuchman took his
seat, there appeared q Spaniard from Mexico
10 dispute his right 10 ii but the original usur-
patton, which ,itiaicd al! those that followed,
was the foundation of the Preside of reXaS
alter eXtrpatlng the settlement of La Sale 1T
the bay otst. Bernard And SO far was France
from ren0uICiug or abdicatiug any part of the
right asserted M the chatter 10 Croxat HAT
nnder the Mississippi company, Mr.. de nOur-
mnnwas appointed, witii Il salary, counan.
dant on the Missouri, and Bernard la Harpe
cOmmandaut for the bay Of st. Bernard. In
August, i72i, he went there, and lett a new
impression o. the arms of France, as IL conti,i-
ued assertion ofthe title. a vessel, command
ed by Berczi.er, mad been SEM there, and had
lot f 81. a &c.
The correspondence between De la Har;e
and i &larconue, shows the respective
claims both o: France and Spain at that time,
nor DO they appear 10 have been, .iur have Won
exhibited any document to show that they
had been, in ANY manner varied, until the ces.
sion OF tie province tn Spain, in Nov. 1862
You affirm, that . from the year lob, The
province OF Texas has continued in perfect
tranquility under the Spanish government
and no further attempts were made bv the
French 10 penetrate into any part Oft" The
letter OF M. ria Harpe-to Don Martin u Aiar
come, Of sth July, l7l9, is Sufficient to refute
this assertion.
You assert that the French settlements of
Natchez and Natchitoches were made only
tbr0agh the suLerauce or permission of the
Spanish governors, tor the sole purpose of tra-
ding with The indieus. We say that YOU have
not u particle of Evidence TO support this as
sertl0u, and that the whole tcuor of the histor-
lc2i evidence is TO the contrary thsi tive post
of Natchitochcs, particularly, was Sstab l,sited
spanish establishment there, ai,d HAT the mis-
sion of ST. alichaei at the A dges wa, fou,rloi
after If, and in opposition 10 il. You admit
Yourself that although positive orders we're
Issued byt the Spanish governors Up drive The
Frcnch from the Shole district. and 10 destroy
bot the posts OF Satchez and NatchitoChss:vel
ii officer charged with the execution OF ihe
orders, after advancing with a sofacien force
tor that purpose, accedcd to the proposals OF
the French at NatchuSches, that AfrOyo Hon
10, midway betv een,NdtcLicches add Adaes
should be considered the dIvidiOS line, mn
I'll the determinations OF the two coaris winch
state of things you say continued uAtil the ces-
sion of Louisiana 10 Spain ib 1867 What clear
or proof could be required that The French ne.
yarrenOunced their claim TO the countries wa
tered by the Mississippi and its branches; and
that Spain has nothing TO oppose 70 tEnt claim
which she might not viii. ch force OPP
pose TO the right OF France 10 every o:her part
of the colony OF louisiana
You allege, that upon the ceSsion of Louis
ana 10 Spain, memoir of its proper extent
aud limits was drawn up by MIR. keriet, who
had been many years governor OF the province,
and delivered by the duke de Choisenl 20 the
Spanish ambassador at Paris, as a supplement
to the act of ceSsIOn. That this memoir con-
taned description of its proper extent and
limits, and agreed Substantially with your asser-
tions. Permit me 10 observe, that had YOU
produced the memoir itself, il might be a sub
ject of reply or of remark that not having
produced 1t, you canHct expect it should be
considered as possibly dlierin. in, substance
from the charter of Louis the fourteenth. bv
which alone Louisiana had been held o.. iron,
the subsequent memoir of the Count de Yer
sennes and that the rights of the United
States as little he affected by secret me-
moirs, as by Imaginary treaties or eXtsrmiaat-
ing royal orders of Philip the second With
regard to your offer of further demonstrations
of the Spanish title, if they are of the like des-
criptiOn With these, you will do well To snare
yourself and me the waste of time, which il
would take TO produce aud TO notice them
Nnu hayo to ir,fO~ =.
name of the king your master, that Spain has
an iudisputable right to all the right bank OF
the Mississippi, but that bis majesty has re-
solved To claim It, solely with a view to adhere
10 the Wi posSidetis OF l7G4 If, sir. YOU will
exhibit any evidence of right in Strain to the
right bank of the Mississippi. il will be cousid-
cred by the government of tile United States,
with all the attention TO which it can be EMIT
led. in the mean time Won canuot but err
ceiye, that this pretension is utterly incompat-
idle both with that advanced i'm another part
OF yoer note, of right III Spain 10 tile whole
circumference of the Cult of hIeSico, and with
TINT of the VII poSSidctis Of l76l
The question of disputed Boundaries be-
tween European settlements in America is
not new. From the nature Of those settle
meDts, ths imperfect geographical knowledge,
possessed by all the parties to ihpIa, of The
countries where they formed their establish
ments, and the grasping spirit by which they
were all more or less animated ir, forming
them, il was inevitable thai disputed hnuUda-
RES ShOulu be an appcnoiee 10 them ali. Of
this spirit of boundless ambition, Spain gave
the most memorable example, by the original
pretenSon OF engfOssing To herself the " hole
american hemisphere. The common sense
and common feeling Of mankind ccmld not and
did not long tolerate this assumption. with
what lingering reluctance, and 6y what m
gracious gradations Spain was compelled to
rcctde from IL, notorious IN the annals Of the
| last three centuries; hat il is among tie most
curious characteristics OF your notes 10 show,
that she clngs 20 these long exploded preten.
sions still. Yom have uotscrupied even al this