Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1819-02-01
From the Washington Guy Gazette.

ted States ann France, wnien feSuitsu III
the treaty of cession Of 1903, from M ).
work. entitled Sketches OF Diploma
tic History"
(Continued.l
Mr. Livingston's letter of the 18th OF
April. 1903, makes us acquainted with two
remarkable facts.--th- one, that our minis
tiers we're restricted by their commission to
the purchase of lands on the eastern side OF
the Mississippi, The other, that disregard'ng
this restriction, they went on to purchase
Louisiana, which, in 1903 and in the hands
OF France, included nothing ON that side
of the river Excepting the Island Of Orleans.
(l5) Mr. Liv;ngstoo's words are, Con the
l4tn called on Mr.. Monroe 10 present him
10 tie minister IN Talleyrand) who had
iixey. three O'Clock that day for his recep-
ton. Before we went, we examined cur
co mission, in which are two circumstan-
ces with which cannot be well satisfied.
The first is. that have not the same rank
in tn. commission as MIR. Monroe. 1t is
important that should be thought to stand
as well with our government as any other
person. If so, my age AMI the station l
have filed, entitled me TO expect that no
other should he placed above me in the line
| am in (l6) The second is, that the COM
mission contained powers only to treat Tor
lands on the eastern side Of the Mississippi.
Mr.. Monroe agreed with me to go on and
do as well as we can. and as we lett no
copy of the commission, it may probably
escape unnoticed, though it will doubly
damnus if ournegociation should not please
at home" ZOOS
On the seth Of April the negotiation ter
minated, and thirteen days afterwards, cur
ministers advised their government, that
they bad made treaty with France con
the best terms they could obtain" ~ 1--WE
found" they say, M. Marbois was abso-
lutely restricted to the disposition of the
whole, (of Louis;ana) that he would treat
for mol less portion, III and of course, that
II was useless to urge it. On mature deli
beration, therefore, we finally concluded
treaty for the whole" In subsequent pa
ragraph, we find the French negociator e.
euaIiy restricted, or peremptory, on the
question Of price "The first propositionhe
made TO US was, that we should pay eighty
millions, and from this quantum he never
would depart"
JYhiie Mr. Monroe was preparing this di-
vest of the negotiation (which was or ought
20 have been, full and clear detail of all
they dill, and OF their motives for doing iO
his colleague was employed in presenting
10 the government summary of the means
adopted to ascertain, what partOfthe terri
torY. desired by us, belonged TO France and
what to Spain, and TO induce the former of
these powers to sell. Of these two dis
patches, Mr. Livingston says, "tbey so full
" explain this extraordinary business, as to
make an further observations unnecessa.
~" (IS) Now, admitting the plenary
character, thus given 10 them, our wonders
are assuredly not diminished, by discover.
inc in either Of Them, shadow Of evidence
The, Louisiana extended weStwarliIy to the
Rio Bravo, or eastwardly TO the Perdido;
nor a syllable. in exposition OF the rights
derived to us, as is now alledged, from the
terms of the treaty of ST. Ildefonso !! on the
contrary, we find in That OF Mr.. Livingston,
a repetition of the old story Though in
new form that the Floridas belong 10 Spain.
.tlol A silence SO extraordinary, in the one
case, and an assertion so Incompatible with
the solemn declarations of our agents at sab
seauent recent periods at toe other, require
examination. (20) Vas it that the descrip-
ton used in this cession, was in itself so
clear and well defined, as rendered unne-
cessary any additional explanation? This
will not be pretended by those who recoi-
iect, that the description has IN it neither
physical nor geometrical precision, and that
il VIGOROUSLY rests on disputed facts and
doubtful constructions. (sD Vas it that the
limits Of Louisiana originally, and whenin
the hands of France were SO well ascer-
tanned as left no room for difficulty or dis
CUSTOM? This wlknot be asserted by any
one. having a competent knowledge OF the
subject; the limits of this province never
having been matter Of treaty OF convention,
between France and any other power, and
the only authority to be found in the ar
ehives OF that country having relation there