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ItiAMStfEb fcVEuV Thursday
- Mocking, by George W.
\Vr* “iqi-er & James Clahke,
AT ‘fHREE DOLLARS A YEAR
OLE !.N ADVANCE.
t>ragicara'raggTi: rir^-sr’yaraEa
Spanish affairs!
jT/;t o,T?r.v*rv of State to the Che
waller ae Onis , Envoy Extra
ordinary and Minister Plcnipo
t ttntiary of his Catholic Ma
jesty*
[Concluded.!
This conduct ol your govern- 1
fnefct would have justified if it
did not invite the most decisive
attires on the part of the Uni
ted States. The refusal to make
reparation foir preceding injuries
“or ;o surrender any -portion of
the territory, in the possession of
‘Spain, to which they considered
their title in disputable, or to ac
cept fair and liberal propositions
tor the fec6oH3tn6dation of these
differences, or to make fc proposi
tion of any kind for the’ purpose,
left the United States perfectly
free, to pursue such course, as
in their judgment a just regard to
the honor, rights, and interests of
the nation might, dictate. In the
condition of Spain, there was no
thing to excite apprehension of the
consequences, whatever might be
Xh'f course decided on. Os this
the. well known state of the Pen- _
insula, at the time,and since, and i
of the Spanish provinces in A* !
luerica, affords ample proof. The
friendly policy which the United
States have since pursued, is the j
more conspicuous, from the con- i
sideration, that your government
has inflexibly maintained the uiv- j
ujiist and hostile attitude which it
then assumed, and even added
new injuries and Insults to those
of which I have already complain
ed. I refer, in this latter remark,;
to the breaches of the neutrality
of Spain, which the government
permitted ; if it did hot authorise,
by British troops and British a-,
gents, in Florida* and through
that province, with the Creeks h
other Indian tribes in the late war
with Great Britain, to the great
injury of the United States.- 1 ---
ft is under these circumstances
that you have made the demands:
above recited, to which I will,
now proceed to give a more par
ticular reply.
You require that Spain shall
be put in possession of West*
Florida, as an act of justice, be
fore a discussion of the right oi
the parties to it is entered on.
It is known to your govern
ment, that the United States
claim by cession, at a fair equiva*
Jent, the province of Louisiana,
ns it was held by France prior to
the treaty of 1763, extending
fern the River Perdido, on the
Intern side of the Mississippi,
H the Bravo, or Grande, on the
Western. To. the whole territory
iviiiuu those limits* the United
LOUISV ILL E, TUURSO AY, FERR UA R Y 25, 1210.
States consider their right estab- <
iished by well known facts, and 1
the fair interpretation of treaties.
In a like spirit may the United
.States demand the surrender of
ail the territory above described,
now in the occupancy of Spain,!
as a condition to the commence
ment of any negotiation for th* i
adjustment of differences.-—— ‘
U lien we consider how long your ;
government has maintained what
lis deemed an unjust possession *
IJ l ‘ 1
more especially, when we recol
lect that die injuries before re
ceived are still unredressed, and
that others ha ve been since ren
dered, there can be, it is presumed
but one opinion, as to the greaf
moderation of this government, 1 ;
in acquiescing in it. But why;
restore this province to Spain, if
it. is the intention of your govern-j
men*, to make the title to it, ini
connection with other differences,]
a subject of amicable negation!
and arrange mem ? May not such |
negociatlon be entered into, as
well while it is in. the occupancy;
of the United States-, as if it were
in that of Spain ?
You demand next, that Mr. To
ledo and others, whom you men
tion, charged with promoting re !
volt in the Spanish provinces, j
and exciting citizens of the Uni-j
ted States to join in n, shall be\
** . !
arrested and tried—their troops■
{'disarmed and dispersed.
| You intimate that troops are!
levying in Kentucky* Tennessee,]
Louisiana, and Georgia, for the;
; invasion of the Spanish provin-j
]ees, of whom one thousStid ere!
from Kentucky* and three hun- 1 ;
.dred From Tennessee, to be com- j
‘marided by American citizens,
jbut you do not state at what
points these men are collected, of
by whom commanded ; and as the j
forces said to be raised in Louisi-j
ana and Georgia, your communi-j
I cation is still more indefinite.—-;
iThe information recently obtain-
| fed by this department, front per
sons of high consideration* is of
a very different character. It is
stated that no men are collected*
nor is there any evidence of an
attempt or design io collect any in
’Kentucky,Tennessee or Georgia,
[forthe purpose stated ; and that
‘the force’ said to be assembled
under Mr. Toledo is very incon
siderable, and composed princi
pally of Spaniards and French*
men. If any portion of it con
sists of citizens of the United .
States, their conduct is unauthor
ized and illegal*, This force is
not within the settled pans of
Louisiana, but in the wilderness,
between the settlements of the
United States and Spain, beyond
the actual operation of our laws.
I have to request, that you Will
have tfetz goodness to state, at
what points in Kentucky, Ten* <
nessee, Georgia, and Louisiana, ’
any force is collected, the number ’
in each instance* and by whom!,
commanded. If such force is •
collected or collecting within the
United States, for the purpose
suggested, or other illegal pur
pose, it will be dispersed, and the
parties prosecuted, according to
law.
This government is under no
obligation, nor lias it the power,
by law or treaty, to surrender
any inhabitant of Spain or the
Spanish provinces, on the de
mand of the government of Spain;
nor is any such inhabitant pun
ishable by the laws of the Uni
ted States for acts committed be
yond their jurisdiction, the case
of pirates alone excepted. This
is a fundamental law of our sys
tem. It is not, however, con
fined to us. It is believed to be
the law of all civilized nations,
where not particularly varied by;
treaties.
In reply to your third demand,
the exclusion of the flag of the j
revolting provinces, f have to ob
serve, that in consequence of the j
unsettled state of many countries,]
and repeated changes of the m-j
ling authority in each, there be-]
ing, at the same time,several com-j
petitors, arid each party bearing !
| its appropriate Hag, the President
| tlica.ght it proper, some time past,
i to give orders to the collectors not
| to make the flag of any vessel a
criterion or condition of its admis
| sion into the ports of the United
] States. Having taken no part in
I the differences and convulsions
i which have disturbed those conn
■ tries, it is consistent with the just
! principles, as it is with the inter*
! esta of the United States, to ve
! eerie the vessels of all countries
into their ports, to whatever par
ty belonging, and under whatever
Hag sailing, pirates excepted, re
jquiringot them only the pay
j riient of the duties, and obedience
|of the laws, while under their
; jurisdiction : without adverting
! to the question, whether they had
:committed any violation of the
allegiance or laws obligatory on
them in this countries to which
they belonged, either in assum
ing such flag, or in any other re
specn
In the differences Which have
subsisted between Spain and her
colonies, the United States have
observed all proper respect to
their friendly relations withSpain.
They took no measure to indem
nify themselves for losses and in
juries ; none to guard against the
occupancy of the Spanish terri
tory by tfye British forces in the
late war, ot to occupy the terri
tory to which the United States
consider their title good, except
in the instance of West-Florida,
and in that instance under cir
cumstances which made their in
terposition as much an act of ac
commodation to the Spanish au
thority there, as of security to
themselves. They have also
prchibiued their ©iutens from
taking any part in the war ; and
the inhabitants of the colonies*
and other foreigners connects 1
with them, from recruiting mer>
in the United States for that pur
pose. The proclamations which
have been issued by the Govern
ors of some of the states and ter
ritories, at the instance of the?
President, end the Proclamations
lately issued by the President
himself, art! not unknown to your
government. This conduct, un
der such circumstances, and ac
such a time, is of a character too
marked to bs mistaken by the im
partial world.
What will be the final result of
the civil war, which prevails be
tween Spain arid the Spanish pro
vinces;! America, is beyond the
reach of human foresight. It
has already existed many years,
and with various success, some*
times one party prevailing, and
then the other. In some of the
provinces, the success of the re
voluitcnists appears to have giv
en to their cause more stability
than in others. All that your
; government had a right to claim
|of the United States, was, that;
| they should not interfere in the;
contest, or promote, by any active
service, the success of the revo*
Union, admitting that they con*
tinned to overlook the injuries
received from Spain, and remain
ed at peace. This right was
common to the colonists. With
equal justice might they claim 9
that we would not interfere to
their disadvantage; that our
ports should remain open to both,
parties, as they were before th&
commencement of the struggle ;
that ovtr laws regulating com
merce with foreign nations should
not he changed to their injury
On these principles the United
States have acted.
So much I have thought pro*
per to state, respectine the rela
tions existing between the United
States and Spain. The restora
tion of the diplomatic intercourse
between our governments, form,
an epoch which cannot fail to be
important to both nations. If it
does not produce a result fa vor
able to their fuure friendship Ik
good understanding, to your go
vernment will the failure be im
putable. The United States
have at all times been willing to
settle their differences on just
principles and conditions, and
they stiff are. Os this I inform
ed you in my letter of the sth of
May, as I likewise did Mr. Ceval
los, in a letter ofthe 17 th of July.
It will be very satisfactory of the
President to find that your gov
ernment entertains now the s.arne
disposition, and has given you
full power to conclude a treaty
for these purposes.
I have the honor to be, with,
great consideration, sir, youc
very obedient servant,
(bignesi) JAMES Mt&TRQS.
!_Yol. I.
