Geography of Ohio 419 



Lake Erie and thence across the mountains to Florida. Another of 

 our peace commissioners, John Hay, who had been in Spain, 

 became aware of the dupUcity of the French minister, and brought 

 the matter to the attention of FrankUn, who at first was unwilUng 

 to beheve it. But Hay persisted, and sent an agent to England 

 to secure further proof, if possible. John Adams, our third 

 commissioner, agreed with Hay. The surreptitious plans of 

 Spain and France were of no avail. When the Treaty of Paris 

 was signed, the new Republic owned the continent between 

 Florida and the Great Lakes to the Mississippi. George Rodgers 

 Clark, under his commission from the governor of Virginia, had 

 held the territory which the three nations wanted. If he had not 

 done this, Virginia could not have exercised nominal control of 

 the territory during the war, and our commissioners would have 

 had slight grounds for claiming it in the peace negotiations. 



CLAIM OF THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS 



At the close of the Revolutionary war the thirteen original 

 colonies were states, and among themselves the question came 

 up as to their western boundary. Much contention had arisen 

 over the western country after the French and Indian war. 

 All the colonies, however, were united against King George; 

 and, while opposing a common foe, there was little mutual 

 strife. Congress, therefore, had to deal with several contesting 

 claims to lands west of the Appalachians. The English officials 

 in Canada, and at a few posts south of the Great Lakes, expected 

 a quarrel among the young states. England, for many years 

 after the Peace of Paris, 1783, continued to hope for a recurrence 

 of strife, the outcome of which would be different. According to 

 the custom in Europe, a treaty merely meant an opportunity for 

 the contending factions to strengthen themselves and then renew 

 the fight. England anticipated factional disputes in this 3'oung 

 family of states; then England's emissaries would arrange an alli- 

 ance with one faction, hoping to again get possession of these 

 lost colonies. 



State claivis conceded to the federal government. Of the several 

 states that had claims west of the Appalachians, Virginia 

 apparently had the best. A quite definite charter and a very 

 distinct conquest of the area during the Revolutionary war 



