The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-10-25


de la Corne, then Spanish commandment Of the PROV
ince Of Texas, was at the Adayes, nine miles from
the station at Natchitoches; that de la Corne had
recently returned from the Rio del Norte, where
he had established several missions, and posts upon
a bay near the mouth of the Guadaloupe and Saint
Marc, TO which he gave the name Of the Bay OF
Esprltu Santo, and that the Spanish commandment
was then Fastening his preparations to form an cs-
adjustment at the Caddo village on Red river.
M. de Ia Harpe, in order to gain the first occu-
pancy of Red river, set out from Natchtoches on
the 9th February, l7l9, and on the 2lst April ar
rived at the united villages eff the Caddoes Natsoos,
Nassonites and Yatassees about four hundred miles
by water above Natchtoches. On the 9th April,
the foundation Of a French post was laid in the
Natsoo village which post was maintained until
the eession Of Louisiana TO Spain by France, in
1863.
The Spanish officer Don Martin de la Corne,
learning the proceeding of De la Harpe, addressed
TO that gentleman letter, of which The following is
a copy;'
"MoNsIEuR: am very sensible Of the politeness
that M de Bienve and yourself have had the good
ness to show to me- The order have received
from the King, my master, is TO maintain good
understanding with the French of Louisiana. My
own inclination leads me equally to afford them all
the services which depend on me. But am com
PEELED TO say that your arrival the Nassone vii
lage surprises me very much. Your governor could
mol be ignorant that the post you occupy belongs to
my government, and that all the lands west Of the
you to give advice of this to M. Bienville, or you
will force me to oblige you to abandon lands that
the French have no right to occupy.
81 have the honor to be, sir,
''DE LA CoaNE.
"TRMIrY RIVER, May Goth, l7l9."
To this letter the following reply was sent:
"NAssosirE, July 9Th, l7I9.
'MossIEUR: The order from his Catholic Males
fy to maintain good understanding with the French
of Louisiana, and the kind intentions you have
yourself expressed towards them, accord but little
with your proceedings. Permit me to inform you
that M. de Bienville is perfectly informed of the
limits of his government, and is very certain that
the post Of Nassonite depends not upon the domin-
ions of his Catholic Majesty. He knows, Also that
the province of Lastekas, (Texas,) of which you
say you are governor, is a part Of Louisiana. M.
de Ia Sale took possession in 1856, in the of
his most Christian Majesty and since the above
epoch, possession has been renewed from time to
time.
Respecting the post of Nassonite, | cannot com
prehend by what right you pretend that il forms a
part of New Mexico. | beg leave to represent to
you that Don Antoine du Mirror, who discovered
New Mexico in 1853, never penetrated east of that
province or the Rio Bravo. Ii was the French who
first made alliances with the savage tribes in this
gion; and it is natural conclude that riper that
o,os into the Mississippi, and the lands ,caiers, belong
to the King my master
"If you will do me the pleasure to come into this
quarter, | will convince you hold post know
how to defend.
81 have the honor to be, sir,
"DE LA HARPE."
In the course Of l720 M. de la Harpe visited the
lower waters Of the Red, Washita, and Arkansas
rivers considerably to the west, north, northeast,
and east of Masonic; and in January, l72l re-
turned to New Orleans, where, on the Goth of
August of that year, he received the following or
der:
eve, John Baptiste de Bienvile, chevaer of
the military order Of St. Louis and command
ant general for the King in the province of Louis-
ana
at is hereby decreed that NJ de la Harpe, COM
mandant of the bay of ST. Bernard, shall embark in
the packet the Subtle, commanded by B. Rangier,
with detachment Of twenty soldiers, under M. de
Belle, and shall proceed forthwith to the bay of St.
Bernard, belonging to this province, and take pos
Company shall plant the arms of the King in the
ground, and build fort upon whatever spot APP
pears most advantageous for the defence of the
place.
"If the Spaniards, or any other nation, have taken
possession, M. de la Harpe wild signify to them that
they have no right to the couhtry; it being known
that possession was taken III 1856 by M. de la
Sale, in the name Of the King bf France, &c.
t"BIENVILLE."
In virtue of this commission, La Harpe went
down the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico, and,
in his report, decided that bay he entered formed
the western limit Of louisiana but the only fact hav-
ing any real bearing on the question which this off
Ger decided, was, that Spain had then (l72l) no es
adjustment on the Gulf of Mexico east of Rio
Grande.
The following, which you will find marked as
quotation, contains my own conclusions, recorded in
my Louisiana, p. 26 to 90, and printed in first edi-
ton, Philadelphia, 1916, and second edition, New
York, 1877:
"Thus remains the question Of the limits of this
great country until this moment [l817.] From the
facts stated, will appear demonstrativc that to
distance far west of any place the United States have
yet occupied the claims of France, by prior pos
session, were decsively established at very early
period after the first discovery of the country. How
far policy will influence the government of the Uni
ted States in establishing the extent of the right ii
has acquired from France, remains unexplained; but
we may be jusfable in asserting that, whoever pos
scsses the two fine bays of Espiritu Santo and ST.
Bernard has completely the commerce Of the Span
ish internal provinces in their hands.
"The point of separation between the Spanish do.
minions and those of the United States upon the Pa
cifc ocean, though not so easily determined as upon
the Gulf of Mexico, yet there exist sufficient data
to enable the geographer to mark with considerable
precision, the point that principles of equity would
determine as the dividing limit between the two ma
TONS
''The Spaniards have long since formed perma-
nent establishment on the south side of the bay of
st. Francisco, N. latitude $40 Az. Thus far ION
the Pacific coas) Spain has decided, undsputed and
real possession on the northwest coast of North
America.
"The title of the United States to the countries
upon the middle waters of the Columbia river, can
no. be contested by either Spain or Great Britain,
consistently with the principles upon which all Eu-
ropean claims have been in the first (and ast) in
stance, established in America.
stThe distance from the mouth of Columbia river
to st. Francisco is about six hundred miles. If we
may be permitted to infer that the title of the United
States to the country near the mouth Of the Column
bia river, and that Of Spain to ST. Francisco cannot
in justice be contested, then some intermediate point
must become the determinate limit. If the respec.
tive claims are equal to the two extremes assumed,
and if the two nations have similar rights to the in
tervening region, follows that mid distance would
certainly be the most suitable boundary, upon rules
of public law and principles Of sound policy.
"Upon this maxim, drawn from common sense,
L. VTo,ta .lo