The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1861-01-25

rivera stipulation, the obligations of
which passed to Spain, which had succeeded
to the dominion. Great Britain, in ceding
her sovereignty to the United Statea, stipu.
lated for continuance of the same privi-
lege from the United States.
The United States also succeeded to the
rights of England, derived from the treaty
of 1853 with France, to which Spain had
succeeded.
Between 1888 and 1895 this subject was
much contested by Spain and caused great
excitement in the Western country. Spain
denied the right of navigation soon
after the treaty made regulations for the
collection OF heavy duties on imports-all
the way down the Mississippi river; and,
establishing military posts and appointing
officers with instructions, collected the
duties BY military force. This was in
furtherance of scheme of Spanish policy,
to create dissatisfaction with the Federal
Government in the Western states, and
detach them from the Federal Union, then
under the government of the old confedera-
tion. The intrigues for that subject form,
however, different branch of the subject
from that which we are considering. The
claim of Spain was denied very strenuously
by the Government; but Spain was unyield-
ing, and the agitation continued to the year
1895, when the treaty of Madrid was con
cluded, under Washington's administration,
between the United States and Spain.
The treaty contains two provisions in
respect to the navigation of the Mississippi.
The second clause of the fourth article
provides:
His Catholic Majesty has likewise agreed
that the navigation of the said river (the Mis-
sissippi) in its whole breadth, from its source
to the ocean, shall be free only to his subjects
and the citizens Of the United States, unless he
should extend this privilege to the subjects of
other powers by special convention.
By the twenty.second article, the right of
deposit is regulated thus /:
His Catholic Majesty will permit the citizens
of the United States, for the space of three
years from this time, to deposite their merchan.
disc and effects in the port of New Orleans,
and to export them from thence without pay.
ing any other duty than to pay fair price for
the hire of the stores, and his Majesty promises
either to continue this permission, if he finds
that during that time it is not prejudicial to the
interests of Spain, or if he should not agree to
continue it thus, he will assign to them, on an.
equivalent establishment.
By this treaty, the free navigation of the
river was again specially confirmed by Spain
to the States which had previously sue
ceeded to it, by their trereaty, from Eng
land, which rested on her previous treaties
with France, by which Spain was also
bound.
The Western people were comparatively
quiet while that right of deposit continued,
but at the expiration of the three years, it
was not renewed, nor was another place
designated, and new excitement was crea-
ted, and expeditions projected in the Yves.
tern states for the seizure of New Orleans.
The right was restored by the Spanish Gov
ernment in 1899, restored again in 1901,
suspended again in 1902, and restored in
1903, when the subject was finally put at
rest by the conclusion of the treaty by
which Louisiana was purchased by the
United States, and the whole of the Missis-
sippi river, from its source to its mouth,
included within the Territorial limits of the
United States.
The purchase of Louisiana was made
from France in 1903. But it had remained
in the possession of Spain up to within
few days of the transfer from France to the
United States. The treaty of transfer
from France to Spain was negotiated in
1900. By the convention of that year
between Napoleon, First Consul of the
French Republic, and the King of Spain
France obtained retrocession of the prov
ince of Louisiana, to be delivered six months
after the execution of certain conditions
therein named, the principal of which was
the transfer of the Kingdom of Etruia (the
present Tuscany in Italy, to the Duke of
Parma, son-in law of the present King. The
estimated value of the Italian territories
was l0O,000,0O0f, which is the nominal
value then placed on the whole territory.
But the delivery was not actually made
until the Goth of November, 1903, after
the signing of the treaty OF transfer from
France to the United States. The French
flag continued to fly until the 10th of De-
cember, when the transfer was formally
surrendered to Messrs. Claiborne and Viii.
kinson, commissioners of the United States.
One foreign privilege only existed on the
Mississippi after this date, which was the
right of the British to free navigation, under
the treaty ofl763, to the obligation OF which
| the United States succeeded, as successors
of Spain and France, as well as by the
treaty of l783 between the United States
and Great Britain. The same privilege was
especially confirmed and enlarged by the
treaty of 1894, between Great Britain and
the United States.
The war with Great Britain put an end
to that, and renewal was refused by the
American Commissioners who negotiated
the peace of 1915. t ..sslses IN, s.
These are all the treaties which have
regulated the Mississippi navigation for a
hundred years. By all of them the naviga-
tion has been declared free to all Inhabitants