Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-04-10

Judge JifcEfr's Bi0r tStcrf.
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DoclEs'as transmitted 10 Congress 6y tie
President ~ the United States.
no. g..
Don Lnis dc Gals 10 lie Secretorycf Siais.
lCONTINUED
GARTER this event the htarluis de Aghayo
came 10 Texas, re- established the old missions,
aud Founded new ones. VIZ: Pillar, Adaes,
L1reio, at the Bay or Espiriiu Santo, or ST
Bernard, aud Dolores, known by the nsme OF
Crquyaco he greatiy improved San Antonio
de Bescsr, aud placed the whole frontier of
the province III respectable state. Thus the
spanish settlements remained tranquil until
Louisiana WAS coded TO Spain, when the gar
rtsons Of esand OrauiEaco we're suppressed
us being 70 longer necessary.
As further proof that the post of Natchito.
cles was acknowledged even by tie French
as being within the Spanish terr:tCTy, shall
add two facts tie first Is, that when Ca plain
Don Domingo Ramon came with patty 10
Texas, after 81. Dennis and his followers were
sent to Mexico, lie paid friendly visi; to the
French at Natchtoches, and entered that fort
with the royal Batoya and insignia, as a sign OF
the dominion and jurisdiction Of Spain, 10
which the French made 10 opposition. The
second factis, that in the year i7I2, the Frenrh
governor OF Natehitoches heng DESTROYS to
Remove that fort, which had been injured by
an laundstion, somewhat farther from the
pink CT The Ro Roxo, (the Red river,) lie
waited on the Spanish governor OF the Adaes,
Don Manuel lie SaadeYal, and requested the
necessary permission TO do 40. Sandoval
granted II, as the site, TO which he wished 10
remove II, WAS no farther than inusket shot
from its former situation. Notwithstanding,
tae yiceroy of Mexico, OH being informed of
tdis act OF accommodation, hi ghlv li.approyed
- ana despatched colonel D0n Francisco de
) brlto, 10 Adaes TO supercede governor Sando-
ktyal, and bring him under guard TO Mexico
be tried there before court martial which
was carried ITO effect with all the rgVr OF tue
law.
IL is unqncstioneble, from the historical
series of facts aud the most fsDquestiouable
documents, that the province OF Texas extend
ed 10 the Mississippi, and that the French
never crossed the river iato that district. but
through the sutierance permission OF the
Spanish governors and that i'll consequence
OF the former abusing the generosity with
.shch they we're permitted 60 trade will the
Indians OF that territory, and to hold, for that
purpose only, the posts of NatcheZ aud Match
i,oches, positive orders were issued TO drive
the French from the whole district, and des-
troy the said posts. The Spanish conIman-
dant advanced with q snt!lcient force TO
execute those orders bur he acceied TO
the proposals Of the French at Natchito-
ches, WHICH were confined TO this, that Arroyo
HOndo. 0hicb IS mid;vay bettreea NdtchitocheS
and 4ld6s, shoad be considered as !5s diridfng
Ilse, until The determination of the two courts.
10 this state things remained without further
change, aud so continued, until the eesSion Of
louisiana to Spain relieved those provinces
OF Spanish America from all embarrassment
and tronbe from the French. But it always
was undesirable fact, established BY tile
most irresistible titles and documents, that the
French neither held nor had held, 10 the west
ward OF lhe Mississippi, III l7i9, any other post
than N,tchitoches, which they held merely by
tie condescension of Spain and that tie
Spanish settlement of Adaes, only five leagses
distant FROM the Rio floAo, Red riyer1 exihted
much earlier, and did so exist until louisiana
was transferred TO Spain. The Parschial re-
cords of NacogdOciez and Adaes, with the
registers OF births, bapsisrns and deaths, attest
II still more clrcuhsfantially, as wei as the
proceedings of the pastoral visit made in 1905 .
by Don Primo Feiiciauo Marin, Bishop of the
new kingdom of Leon, who visited ne districf
of Addes aud the whole province of Texas.
The right which SPAN always ha 4 to all the
territories to the north and east OF New Next
CO, as far as the right LInk of The mississippi
and the Missouri, is proved with 91ual certain
~. All these territories, and the different
branches, falls, and waters of the Mississippi,
were always cOmPrehended within the line oil
the Spanish dOrIiuioR in that parrot America
from the earliest periods Of its discovery and
cOnquest. Although the French penetrated
several times from Mobile aud Biloxi, 10 differ
eat parts Ui that liHe, they never acquired any
right 10 them, Their excursions were conhri-
ed 20 trading or smuggling or exploring the
country. The hats or posts, which they had
IN some Indian nations, were trhing establish
mems, claIdestiiie agd ptCcdrlOus, winch they
were Huablr 10 preserve. The SpanIards had
traded mach earlier than the French with all
1hefe iHdia1 nations with the Ni>SOurs ex.
tending along I'VE TiNef or tndt name; the
rsJorcas, beyo III The River La Platte aud
ttil farther to the northwest, with the Latanes
aud Gagky with several olherS as being within
tbe doni0ious of tire crown of Spain.
The French themselves never disputed the
riclfs Of the SpaDaards To possession aud pro-
peNy, nor lad clam 10 these parts Of tile
tcrritsfirs Of the Spastsh monarchy. Tile
court OF rance always took tie greatest care
not 30 iHjBIe TIE flights ot Spain on all Occa-
Sous OF making grants Of land within her set.
If !. :. 1fi aaf
az ~ times csrshJly respected tie right bank
OF the mississippi, tlirO uklOut its whole ex-
TENT 10 lie ven kuoDn Property Of Spain.
40 ne h0rial eaU be f0und derldrdtory of "a
contrary opiriep sEeeptH decree Of Louis the
fourteenth, diIed ~ E nni aIubcau, on the I itl
Sepfeinbsf, i7i2, it fasVT Cf Nj Crozat. ceding
90 him and tie c0m aany formed by him, the
Frsnrh settlement u LDTi3iAna, with an ideal
aud vapuc dcuiArcdtiUn Of boundaries, by e,.-
tending tl,Qin mentally 10 Sew Mexico. and
the English province Of CaroiiaA aud along
she Mississippi from the sea TO he Illinois,
SC Its evident, that the cOurtof france
did uot then possess any knoWlctee Of tie
geography Of tFat country, or that tRw Mexi-
co was considered a. bordering On w Missis-
sippi notwithstanding Louis the fo.gteenih
had carried his lbcrdliiy 40 FAR ~ tl'5i grs~t
- to give tive French company even ne RIVER
Ai,ssissippi aud the missouri. ife Hissit With
equal fe4.op have given tnat rt &c A'na2onsi