The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1819-12-29

Soui'siOii w uoui l'diiiCo, vi NihIii just
and honorable government would disdain
to take any other advantage than ,ha, of
maniiestiDg its good faith by its cheer
fulDess and promptitude in rectiG ing the
error, and fulfilling the intention, instead
of the letter, Of the engagement. But
the article was not accepted in this form.
In the counter project delivered by me
on the 18th Of February, the grants pri-
or to the 24th January, 1918, Me can
ditiaps Of which should haze been per-
formed BY the gr4niees, and none other,
were declared to be confirmed. AT the
time that ths counter project was receiv-
cd by Mr.. Onis, he was confined to his
house by indisposiiion. AT lis request,
The communications between him and
me were made by the friendly interposi-
ton of the French minister, M. Hyds de
Neuviile. Mr. Onis insisted OH tho ar
ticle concerning the grants. as drawn up
by him, not for the purpose Of Covering
these grants, for he prolessed an earnest
desire that they should be annulled, for
the vIndication of his own character from
the aspersion which had been circulated
here, that he had personal interest in
them; but he had drawn the article in
these terms, merely to save the honor Of
The King. 1t was then observed, that
the honor Of the King could be saved by
declaring the grants prior to the Oath jan
uary, 1918, binding TO the same extent
as they would have been upon the Span
ish government. if the cession to the u.
States had not been made. 1t was known
ard admitted, that neither Of those grants
would in that case have been valid, be-
cause the conditions, by the laws of the
Indies indispensable to their validity, nei-
ther had been, nor could be fulfilled by
the grantees; and their non. performance
had been formally assigned by Mr.. Onis,
in his letter to me of 10th November,
1918, as his reason for agreeing to their
being annulIcd. But he observed, that
there were grants of old standing, made
bona fdc to persons in actual possession
Of the lands, and having made improve
merits and settlements upon them, but
who, by the late revolutions in Europe,
and the convulsed state of Spain, had
been prevented from completing all tic
conditions Of their grants; that it would
Dc but equitable to allow them time from
The date OF the treaty to fulfil them. 10
this ready assent was given. and the
article was thus agreed To-: GIniing 10
such grants alone, the confirmation prior
to the 9Th Of January, 1913.
Minutes of the discussion upon this
article were drawn up in writing at the
time by MIR. de Melville, copies ofwhich
were furnished both 10 MIR. Onis aud to
me, prior to the signature, and recogniz-
ed by us both to be correct. Anabstract
from them of all that relates To this article,
together with the draft Of the article as
first proposed by Mr.. Onis. oi t',at in
our counter project, and of the article as
finally agreed to, are herewith enclosed.
They will shew that the confirmation of
the grants to Alagon, Punon Rostro, and
Vargas, is as e(ectually excluded by the
Limitations in the first part of the article,
If their date is prior to the Oath Of, Janu-
ary, 1918, as by the date itself, If made
subsequent to that time. They were
not excluded BY name, for two reasons
First, conformably to the desire of MIR.
Onis, to Saoe the honor Of tie Kmg.
You will see this distinctly noted in the
minutes of Mr.. de Neuville. Secondly,
because. from the dispatches OF MIR. En-
wing, it was supposed there were other
grants of the same kind, and made under
similar circumstances. To have named
them might have left room for presump-
tive inference in favor of others The
determination was to exclude them all.
No reliance was placed upon the ex-
clusion by the date, because the grants
having been secretly made, and without
the usual form'lities, the copies Of them
received from MIR. Erviug might be un-
II a r. 4