The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-02-06
[washington Cor. Globe-Democrat.I


Washington Cor. Globe Democrat
In the course of his researches Chief
Geographer Gaunett of the geological
bureau, has unearthed some interesting
facts not generally known about the re-
gion once described as the territory OF
Louisiana As early as the beginning OF
the eighteenth century an official attempt
was made to change the names of several
Of the rivers. In 11I2 trance made a
grant to Antoine de CrOZat of the ex-
elusive right to trade in the territory.
This grant made the first and only state
ment of the general limits of the vast re
gion + rance at that time claimed much
more than is usually understood by the
territory of Lo' sana The grant reads.
All the tern .Orles by US possessed and
bounded by New Mexico and by those of
the English in Carolina. all the establish
ments, pOcTs, harboTs, rivers and especially
the port and harbnT of Dauphin island
formerly called Massacre island, the
river St louis, formerly called the
Mississippi from the seashOre to the
Illinois, together with the river St
Philip, formerly called the MssOuTies
the Wabash now the Ohio, with all the
countries, territories, lakes inland, and the
rivers emptying directly or indirectly into
that part of the river St Louis.
4 GAME OF BLUFF.
In tracing the transfers of the various
portions OF the western country until the
present limits of the nited tates were
determined, Mr.. Garrett finds that this
government came into possession of the
region now divided into Washington
Oregon, and Idaho through pure game
of bluff. 1t is certain, he says that the
territory Of louisiana, as first and subse
10 hot
tion.
France transferred the territory of
Louisiana to Spain in 1862. a few
months later, in a treaty, the western
boundary of Great Britain's possessions
was made the center of the Mississippi,
and thus the territory of Louisiana lost
all the land east of the Mississippi
By the treaty Of San Ildefonso in 1900,
Spain transferred the territory of Louisi
ana to France.
In 1893 Bonaparte sold the territory of
Louisiana to the united States in con.
sidera on Of 0,00O. 900 francs and the
assum tion by this government of the
French spOliatiOn claims supposed to
amount to about s}. 10000 The treaty
of cession defined the boundaries as the
same as those specified in the treaty of
San Ildefonso.
MIR. I aruett reaches this conclusion:
"From this it appears that the territory
sold to the nited states comprised that
part of the drainage basin of the MissiS
sippi which lies west of the course of the
river with the exception of such parts as
were then held by Spain. The want of
precise definition of limits in the treaty
was not OBJ ;ected to by the American
commissioners as they probably foresaw
that this very indefniteness might prove
of service to the nited States in future
negotiations with other powers. In fact,
the claim of the nited states to the area
now comprised in Oregon, Washington,
and Idaho in the negotiations with Great
Britain regarding the northwestern
boundary was OstenSibly based not only /
upon prior occupation and upon purchase |
from spain, but also upon the alleged fact (
that this area formed part of the Louisi- /
ana purchase.
A BASELESS CLAIM.
THAT this claim was baseIess is shown
not only by what has been already de-
tailed regarding the limits Of the purchase
but also by the direct testimony of the
French penipOtentiary, NJ Barbe Mar
bOis Some twenty years after the pur-
chase he published a work upon Louisi
ana in which he detailed at some length
the negotiation which preceded the pur-
chase, and, referring to the question
said: The shores of the western ocean
were certainly not comprised in the
cessIon, but already the United States Is
established there
There is also contained in this work a
map of the country between the Missis-
sippi and the Pacific on which the extent
of Louisiana to the westward is indicated
by line drawn on the 10th meridian
which is not far from the western limit
of the drainage basis of the Mississippi in
Wyoming and Montana That part OF
the country now comprised in Oregon,
Washington and Idaho. which, it has
been Gained. formed part of the pur
chase, bears the following legend: Terri
tories and countries occupied by the
United States. following the treaty of ces-
sion of Louisiana