Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

4 TUFT? Ip avr • ■‘a TWOPATF JL i*v jI JL a JL %. JL ‘V-Y i i.l , XI U -V ji. A. JL • kg. m.j 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.