Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-04-24
Negotiation with Spain.
Documents Transmitted to Congress by TIE
President ef the United States.


President Of the United States.
MR.. ApANs's LETTER, CONCLUDED
The settlements ola Sale, therefore, nj the
head OF the bay of st. Bernard, westward Of
the river which he called Riviere aux Eoeufs,
but which yen call Colorado of Texas was not
as you have represented it, the unauthorized
1ncurSi0n or private adventurer into the ter
rIfoFies of Spain, but an establishment LA VIM
every character thar could sasction the for
nation of any European colony upontb,s cou-
tinent; and the viceroy of Mexico had no more
right TO destroy it b, military force, tl,an tie
present viceroy would have TO send an army
and destroy TIE city of New Orleans Ii was
part of louisiana, discovered by La Sale
under. formal and express authority from the
ksnRoF Irance ; and the royal exteTmiu1tiug
order OF Philip tiic second, was bat one OF lie
multitude of sanguinary acts which signalized
the reign and nane of that monarch. while Ike
name OF La Sale is entitled to Staud hrh in
the glorious roll of the benefactors of mankind
After this statement founded upon the Ispa,
authentic documents, the foundation o.; The
preside Of Texas, in iG93, was, by yonr owa
showing, an uniawsni encrOaChinent upon the
territories of France, which by the tirSt of tic
three principles laid down by Messfs. Pinck-
Dey and Monroe, at ATaHuez, and above re-
terred to, extended GU the coast ut the Gulf of
Me%ice, half way 10 the nearest Spanish settle
2 ment OF Papuco, namely TO the RIO Bravo.
Your thorough investigation" of the hiSto.
Tyoi the original French settlements at the 81.
hnois and the Arkansas, is as unfortunate and
as vide from The facts. as all the rest of your
following translated extracts from the work
entitled Dernieres Discoveries, dams Fame
riqne 5epfentrionsle de NJ. della Sale, rsiseS
an jonr par NJ lie Chevalier de ronti. gouyer-
nenr du fort ST. Louis, aux Illinois," (Last
discoveries III North America, of Mr.. de la
Sale. published by the evalier Ionti gorey-
nor OF t0rt 81. LssIis, at the Illinois Paris 1897 )
VIII furnish yon more correct ideas upon the
SUBJECT
When La Sale left his Fort Crevecoeur on
the Sth OF November. 1880, to go back 20 Cana
da Tor supplies, on the third day (says Tonti)
he arrived at the great village of the Illinois,
where, after having observed the situation Of
the country, in the midst of several nations of
the Miamis, kickapoos, AinoOs, MeScontaws,
and several Others, walered by beautiful III
yer, he thought he ought TO build fort upI n
height commanding the whole country, as
well 10 make himself master of all these diner.
ent tIlDes- as To serve as a retreat and Il ram.
part for our French peop!e."(p. 9i) Mr.. de
la Sale, after learning that his boat was " lost,
was not IN the least discomposed, but wrote
to me immediately, sent me with his letter the
plan or the fort that he had Designed, and or
dered me 10 come and set TO work upon il with
ont delay" Tonii accordingly went, and be-
gan the building of the fort, which, from vari-
Gus untoward events, he was soon obliged to
abandon. La Sale afterwards, before rei0in-
ing IOntl, TO proceed down the river, went TO
the new fort, and left several workmen to con-
tinue, and some soldiers to guard it. But it
was upon his return from the month of the
Mississippi, On leaving Michilimackinac, to go
ish the fort.
:" He charged me with the duty to go and
finish fort st. Louis, of which he gave me the
government, with full pOwerto dispose Of the
lands in the neighborhood, and left all his peo-
pie under my command, with the exception of
six Frenchmen, whom he took with him to sc-
company him TO Qnebec. We departed on the
same day, he for Canada, and l for the lii.
nos.
TOuti accordingly finished the fort, round
when arsgHar and rapid settlement was form
ed F; and new governor III Canada having DIS
placed him III the command of the fort he " as
restored 10 II through the influence oil la gulle
by regular commission from The king, Louis
the 18th.
So mach for the settlement at the Illinois.
You nave seen that when In Sale, in 1888. re-
tGrned to France, to fit out the new expedition
for the mouth of the Mississippi, he orders I'd
Tonti, at the proper time, TO go down from fort
st. Louls and meet him there. ln the autumn
e OF 1851, IontI was informed by the governor
OF Canada that La Sale had sailed from Va 10.
ehee with four ships for the Gulf OF Mexico.
He, therefore, took with him forty men frOni
fort ST. Louis, and went down the river TO Tie
SHlf, where be waited until Easter Monday.
1885, for La Sales arrival. RE Was obliged 10
GO ba k disappointed, and on his way upH ards
when he came to the Arkansas, he says, " NJ =
French companions, delighted with tile beauty
Of the climate, asked my permission 10 settle
there. as our Intention was only To hnmanizs
and civilze the saVages, by assOciating with
them, l readily gave my consent. formed
VIE pau Oi a uuilhb IOI ilSSeI dl TIE ArkdnSaS
b. Ell ten Ffenchmen of my company there, WI III
four indians, TO proceed with the building, and
gave them leave to lodge there, themselves
and 10 cultivate as much of the land as thay
could clear. Thisliitle colony has since theu
so much Increased and multiplied, that il has
become a resting place for tile FrChehneu y la
travel in that country"
1 trust, sir, we shall hear no more Of tie
independent and uncOUnected Indian colonies
ct the Illinois and the Arkansas nor Of the
pretended settlement of the French there.
You consider tho charter Of Louis the ittl
10 CTozas, as a solitary document, warranted
by nothing that had preceded, and Supported
~ odiins that followed Is, ana you appear ia
believe that the FIRST expedition 10 Louisiana
Was that ut 1863 and 700. have shown You
sis that that expedition was fitted out, as il is
sapresented ip the grant 60 Crozaf, merely 10
carry into execution the DfOlec, originally
formed 5y La Sale. The MissiSsippi, from
near tssourre 10 the ocean. bad been discOv-
efedbg hiin 81 al expedition meditated by him
for many years before, tor which he had oh.
tanned tie authority from Louis the 18th, ihrn
the influence and patronage of Colbert Tie
expedition Of Joliet, IN 1913, HeHncpin saws
was only an CuyiOus rival attempt, to fOfsstal
q great 4 sign Which was even then Known
% Oe Intended BY Ia Sale, aud for which Le
bad already beou kiUg labofions and cxpen.
siye preparations. Johei reached the Mssis-
sppi. aDd rcifrncd without tnaking ans Other
discovery or any settlement bnt' J - Smiles
undertaking has every Characteristic OF 81.
bline genius, magnspim0ns enieipfize apd hs.
goic execution. 10 him and ia - sfaaa a,