Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1819-01-09

The retrocession OF. louisiana 10 France
which had been previously made bv
Spain on this hypothesis wrote TO vol,
OH The 9ii inst. and il will explain - Lat.
ever may appear 10 YOU ihcUugruous i'm
That note. II WAS not possible for me
Otherwise 10 understand the offer na,.e by
Mr.. Pmckney, because IL Was MOI possible
la suppose that he bad lien authorised
ny Tie American government, or that il
had ever entered into his Own inlae ma
non 10 guarantee the possessions Of His
Majesty - H. westward OF Louisiana OH
b"th American continents, or even as
!.r down as the lsthmus of Panama he
si'ies ti;ai sucb u guarantee MAS beN0nd
'hr powcrni The u. States, and. Therefore.
not WORTH lie acceptance OF Spain: Ec
M ant, then, what was within the reach
and competency of,the u. States, qua
rnniec al that part Of Louisiana which is
ou ihc r,9h; bank Of The MississiDpi This
Is Made still more evident Ly The words
he, used hey ond the mississippi = tor
IN The oiher SurpOsiiion, and bad he been
aware AZ the transfer of Louisiana 10
France, he wouid have said heyun.
Louisiana" Again, is il TO be sepposrd
t&a' he could be treating for The purchase
81 territory OF the left bank OF the Mis-
s'ssippi within The limits OF Louisiana,
when lie Knew that the whole proyince
had passed INTO The hands of Frame. /; Tor
whatever claias Spain may yet make To
that territory, II could not but be known
10 Mr.. Plnchnoy that in fact it Mas a part
oil Louisiana. The conclusion which
rave made is still further and more par
ticuiariy forced upon me by Mr.. Pinck-
news fourth proposal, viii, y Is thus:
hAr 81.
can be acceded to, they will then pnr-
chase certain tracts OF country on the
banks of the Mississippi, aud The otksr
'trers passing from their territory into
that OF His Catholic Majesty, for which
they will pay" &c.
what certain tracts on the banks of
the Mississippi could be purchased Of
SPAN after Louisiana had been transfer
red To France What rivers passing
through the territory of the United States
went INTO those of His Majesty {? This
par' OF The argument Is confirmed hy
Nhai Your eXcellency SAYS, in your last
mole, 10 prove 10 me that MIR. Pinckney
meant 10 offer a guarantee of all lis
MaI'stN possessions you observe thai
ne couiu NOT have meant only those i'm
mediatciy on the west bank of The Mis-
sissippn, tor that such an offer had been
mol only n:ilmportant, bui vain and illu-
sorN applied 10 The west bank. which
besides being sufficiently guaranteed BY
ITS Locality, a Was notorious, in Fe6,wa7v
iaO3, H@f Il h"d been for three gears, then
pGSf, 'rt,cceded 10 France" say, then,
MAJ ii ihis noiorieiy bad reached Mr..
fihcknel, he could moi have mentioned
~ banks Of The Mississippi as belong,
m2 20 Its Majesty, or have spoken OF
iaA' ahu her rivers from the u. States
pa iltouSh his territory.
HE - lion that Mr.. Pinckney meant
10 guarantee all The possessions of Suain
you hnd to be confirmed by the great i'm.
porlance winch he gives 10 that offer. in
NC words which YOU quote from his
note but allow me 10 observe thai. tho
he Intended only guarantee of Ina,
part OF Louisiana which lies westward on
The Mississippi, his proposal merits ali
me Importance which he has given to /,
Again, how could lie pretend 70 offer 10
such power as Spain . guarantee of her
possessions 10 the westward of Louisiana
Knowing that the territory Of such apow,
ef as France interposed between The u.
Sta'es and Tie possessions to he guarau-
,eed Such proposal had been Drenos-
ferrous and offensive.
These observations render il unneces-
ssary Tor me TO reply specially To ihe in
iereices Inch your exceiency is pleased
10 draw IN favor OF the Spanish preieu-
sion to East Florida from The offers made
by Mr.. Pinclney for these offers. even
though they had not originated in an ac-
quainiance with or miSrepres eniatiou
OF ihe then state of affairs, cannot now
Iinpugn the right, or affect the claims
of The U. States.
lie context of Mr.. Pinckne,'s note
anu proposals shows that he was then
under an impression that his Catholic
Majesty Was yet master of Louisiana and
the tioridas /; he speaks of tie banks OF
Inc Mississippi as he speaks Of the Flori
das, and equally acknowledges the So
vereIgHiy OF his Majesty in both ieirito-
RES ny proposing To purchase iii both :;
BOT whatever may have been his impress
sions, and whatever value might belong
To such kind Of acknowledgement
Whilst Louisiana ads III possession of
FRANCE, these Dpcame of no importance
aher TIE province Was transferred 10 the
Y. States, for the claims OF The q. States
do BOT rest upon The opinions of MIR.
finGkney, h'.' on the transfer made by
France.
do bpt instice then 10 the good f;.fii,
W. ''- 'Pt. '''~i' h'"NiHDcHl, NUen sup
pose that II declined Mr.. Pncknev's of
iers, because it had already dispos Ell OF
Tie country proposed 10 be purchased as
well as of that propose 10 be guaran
tred should u 30 justice DO IT'S uoliii-
cal forecast y couii suppos' that, being
the sovereign 81, Ea< F'ori "a. il had d.
ciined 10 sell u f0i t r.4scir ,ir egt,ica.
lent III money supc .r.a Guarantee
" Immensely Important" (sy .f- Fluck-
ney well sats) OF Isis Maiesiys remaining
possessions on tiiat continent.
WITH respect more particularly TO fbe
Guarantee, whatever might have beeu lie
dispositions OF MIR. PinciSnry, or even OF