HISTORY, OF EUROPE. 
land, had no possible means of 
eyeracquiring. But weconfess the 
wisdom of Mr. Jefierson is not so 
apparent, nor the transaction 
so beneficial to his country, in 
the giving thirty millions of 
dollars to France, for a territory 
to which she had a base and very 
disputable title, unaccompanied by 
any right of possession. Although 
the history of this event is the sole 
circumstance worthy of particular 
narration, which occured within 
the year, it may however well be 
considered that, which will hence- 
forward be deemed to have marked 
the most important epoch of Ame- 
rican independency; as it may 
justly be pronounced that which 
-has for ever secured America, trom 
the grasp of French dominion. 
*Had Bonaparte completely suc- 
ceeded in St. Domingo, then the 
armaments, he would have con- 
stantly kept up in that island and 
Louisiana, would have. protected 
New Orleans for ever against 
any American force which could 
be brought against it, while the 
coasts of the republic would be 
constantly exposed to the depreda-. 
tions of French and Spanish in- 
vaders. Louisiana and St, Do- 
mingo were undoubtedly connected 
in the projects of the French go- 
vernment. The disposable mili- 
tary force of either could recipro- 
cally be brouglit to act in the de- 
fence of each, or .be combined in’ 
any attack upon the British West 
Indian islands,or on America herself. 
In the belief that England could 
never again presume to take the 
field against her, France had ma- 
nifested the desire of extending to 
the most extensive. degree, the 
boundaries of her newly-acquired 
339 
territories in the western world. 
Not only was the island of New 
Orleans, which belonged to Spain, 
to be given up to her, but, upoa 
the construction she was pleased to 
put upon the treaties subsisting be- 
tween Spain and America, all those 
countries which had ever been com- 
prized under the general appella- 
tion cf Louisiana, were to be con- 
sidered as ceded to France, by the 
provisions of this secret engage- 
ment. The two Floridas, as anci- 
ently comprized within the limits of 
that great district, were therefore 
nowto be annexed to her dominion. 
—Nor did her projected encroach- 
ments rest there, Any claims thas 
France might make upon Spain in 
this part of the world, would have 
readily been conceded: nor would 
the latter have resisted the demand 
of acolony in that distant part of 
the world, when she had already 
given up’so much in Europe. But 
a far more important circumstance 
arose in the progress of this trans- 
action; France also claimed the 
fort of the Natchez, on the Missi- 
sippl, a post that the Americans 
had long been in possession of, and 
the surrender of which must have 
been pr. luctiye of the most serious 
consequence to the future safety 
and security of their western dis- 
tricts. : ‘ 
These schemes and projects of 
Bonaparte were, however, all dis- 
concerted, by the rupture between 
‘England and France, the first fruits 
of which were the quieting the 
claims of the latter upon Louisi- 
ana, and the abandonment of St. 
Domingo to its fate: circumstances 
of incalculable advantage to the. 
future peace and tranquillity of the, 
United States, : 
Great 
